Fall Girl
by Helena's Mangos
Summary: Piper is popular. Alex is not. Piper has always used Alex as a scapegoat for her shitty family life, but after they're unwittingly forced to spend time together, will they realize they have more in common than they think? High School AU. Slowburn. Vauseman.
1. Prologue

Fall Girl

Prologue

Piper can't remember a time when Alex wasn't around.

Piper was only three-years-old when her parents hired Diane Vause as their housekeeper and nanny to Danny, Piper, and baby Cal. Piper's dad was a higher-up in some big insurance company, and while her mother didn't work, she needed her days free to run errands, keep up appearances by going to the salon, and socialize with the other wealthy housewives of Litchfield, New York. Thus, Diane Vause entered into Piper's life bringing her young daughter, Alex, along with her.

At first, Piper, Danny, and Alex play well together, as kids tend to do, oblivious to pressure society would soon place on them, illuminating perceived differences due to class, or skin color, or gender. Diane takes care of the house and makes them grilled cheeses for lunch, while Danny, Piper, and Alex build towering castles out of blocks. At 5pm every Monday through Friday, Alex gets to go home with Diane, and Piper and her brothers are left with their parents.

Over the years, Piper can't help the jealousy that manifests around this fact. Because Diane is a good mother. Diane is caring, and involved, and all the things her own mother isn't. And Piper comes to resent the fact that Alex gets all of that while she doesn't.

It's not until middle school begins that Piper and Alex attend the same school. The students who attended the various elementary schools that make up the school district all came together into one middle school and one high school. Alex, of course, came from one of the poorer elementary schools, while Piper came from the wealthiest.

Piper, due to her family's affluence and the elementary school she came from, molds easily into the popular crowd; and Alex, due to her lack thereof, finds herself near the bottom of the social hierarchy. Piper's friends tease Alex relentlessly. They call her pigsty and make fun of her clothes. Piper never joins the teasing, but she doesn't attempt to stop it either. She watches from the sidelines as Alex gives her confused looks at her lack of help.

Piper doesn't join in, because she loves Diane and doesn't want Alex to tell her mom anything that will make Diane think badly of her, but she feels the tiniest fluttering of pleasure when her friends tease Alex, so she doesn't stop them either. It gives Piper perverse enjoyment to know that even though Alex has a perfect, loving mom, she doesn't have everything. She won't have Piper's popularity, or the clothes Piper's parent's money can buy, or an easy time in middle school and high school.

Piper feels like maybe she should feel guilty for feeling this way, but she doesn't.

Piper was always the bystander, never the bully. Until the day things changed. Piper and Sarah had tried to sneak into a movie the previous weekend, but Piper had got more than she bargained for when she saw her dad with another woman. Her mother all but ignored the information and Piper was punished for sneaking into a movie she wasn't supposed to see. That's when Piper began to learn the true dynamics of her family.

On the bus the following morning, Piper sat next to Sarah in the seat assigned to them by the bus driver, recounting to her friend what had happened with her mom. Sarah wasn't really paying her much attention, too focused on her own drama with the boy she had a crush on, and kept trying to change the subject. Piper's frustration and anger had grown to new heights by the time the bus pulled to the stop in front of Alex's apartment complex.

As Sarah prattled on about how Toby was "dating" Melissa instead of her, Piper watched through the window as Diane hugged and kissed Alex goodbye. She watched Diane's lips form the words "Have a good day! Love you, kid."

Alex climbed onto the bus with a smile on her face, and that was the final straw for Piper. She was annoyed that her mother planned to sweep her father's affair under the rug. She was frustrated that one of her best friends was too self-involved to listen to her problems. But most of all, she was overcome with anger and jealousy toward Alex and the relationship she had with Diane.

She needed an outlet for her pent up fury, and everything seemed to snap into place as she heard Sarah snicker and say as Alex walked by them to her seat, "Good morning, pigsty."

Alex ignored the remark as she took her assigned seat behind Piper and Sarah. As the bus accelerated, Piper watched the pouring rain outside the window as an idea began to form in her head. She got up onto her knees on the seat, turning her body to peer down at Alex, who was reading a book, in the seat behind her.

"Hey, pigsty," Piper said, causing Alex to look up from her book, surprised hurt flickering across her features at being addressed this way by Piper. Piper didn't allow herself to dwell on it. Instead, she focused on the all the things that made her angry and said, "I think you need a bath." Piper unlatched her window, the speed of the bus and the wind causing rain to blow in at an angle, right onto Alex's seat.

Piper laughed along with Sarah, who had watched the scene unfold. Alex shivered as the icy rain pelted her skin. She scooted all the way to edge of her seat, practically in the aisle-way of the bus, and shot Piper a hurt, but angry glare. "Seriously, Piper?" she said with a slight shake of her head, disappointment clouding her features.

Piper felt guilt rush through her at the look Alex gave her; however, as she turned back in her seat and was met with the gleeful eyes of Sarah, guilt was quickly replaced with a rush of pride and exhilaration. "That was awesome, Piper!"

Piper wore a smile for the remainder of the ride to school, all thoughts of her cheating father, in-denial mother, and Alex's relationship with Diane forgotten for the time being.

That was how it all began.

 **A/N: Hello everyone! I'm back with a new (and much longer) high school AU! I was so pleasantly surprised with the response I got for** _ **After the Storm**_ **, that I got inspired and decided to start writing a second story. This one will be quite different from the previous one, as we'll get to see quite a bit of Popularbitch!Piper.**

 **The next chapter should be finished soon and I will post it as soon as it is, but I figured I'd go ahead and get this out there to gauge the interest in this. The rest of the story will take place in high school and start with Piper and Alex beginning their junior year and follow them through graduation.**

 **Anyway, please let me know what you think of this idea and anything you'd like to see me try to incorporate into this fic!**

 **Love you all!**

 **Helena's Mangos :)**


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N: Thank you so much to those of you who favorited, followed, or reviewed this story! I'm so happy to see that the prologue garnered some interest! I hope you enjoy the first chapter as well!**

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Chapter 1

Alex elbowed her way through the mass of students gathered under the bleachers that surrounded the high school football field. It was the first home game of the year, and typically, Alex would not have been caught dead within a 5-mile radius of a school event, particularly this one. But Sylvie had begged her to go, and since they had only been dating for a month, Alex felt that she couldn't say 'no.'

Sylvia's hand was clutched in Alex's as the taller girl charged through the crowd. All she could see was a sea of red and black, until she finally pushed through into a much more open area near the goal post. A bit further and they'd enter into the opposing team's area. Alex stopped them just short of that; she wasn't looking for a fight, but she also needed some breathing room. High school football games were the worst.

She leaned against the chain link fencing that surrounded the field and pulled out a cigarette. Dropping Sylvia's hand so that she could light it, she said, "I wonder if Nicky is here yet."

Sylvia shrugged, looking around into the crowd in an attempt to spot that wild mane of auburn hair. When Nicky had heard that Sylvia had roped Alex into attending the game, she had jumped at the chance to tag along to watch the latest object of her affection, Lorna Morello, cheer.

The game was only midway through the first quarter, but as Alex glanced up into the stands, she could tell they were already packed. The atmosphere was electric as students and the community alike cheered on the home team. Even Alex was beginning to get a bit caught up in the feeling of excitement.

Sylvie bounced from the ball to the toes of her feet in front of Alex, clearly feeling the energy as well, but attempting to quell her enthusiasm to appear cool in front of the darker haired girl. She seized the cigarette from Alex's fingers and took a drag off it.

Her hands momentarily free, Alex pulled her phone from the front pocket of her hoodie to text Nicky.

To Nicky (7:20pm): You here yet?

From Nicky (7:21pm): In the student section. Near the top.

Alex pocketed her phone and reclaimed the cigarette from Sylvie. She finished it off as she watched Sylvia focus on the game. Sylvia, like Alex, wasn't big into sports, but she did like to experience all things stereotypically high school, and that meant attending at least one football game during their time at Litchfield High. Alex would never admit it aloud, but she was kind of glad they came.

She threw the butt into the dirt and stamped it out with her converse-clad foot. Alex held out her hand and smiled (a real smile, not her signature smug smirk) at Sylvia. Sylvia smiled back as she linked their fingers together.

"Nicky said she's in the student section." Alex weaved them back into the throng of students. Many students, who came to the football games solely to socialize, hung out under the bleachers near the food stands in large groups. Some never even ventured into the stands or watched even a minute of the game. The two girls came to the steps that led to the student section, and Alex ascended, Sylvia close on her heels. At the base of the stands, Alex did a quick sweep of the spectators.

Her eyes roamed over familiar and unfamiliar faces in their search for crazy hair and hazel eyes. Instead of locating Nicky, her eyes connected with the distinct blue she knew all too well: Piper Chapman. This girl had taken a vow to make her life a living hell, and Alex had no idea why. Piper was staring straight at her, and for a moment, Alex couldn't look away from the piercing gaze. It truly was unfair, how attractive Alex found her. A person so hideous on the inside shouldn't look so perfect on the outside.

"There she is," Sylvia said, her voice raised a bit louder than usual to be heard over the constant hum of the crowd. She pointed with her arm to somewhere above Piper's head, and Alex finally broke away from Piper's stare to follow the path laid out by Sylvia's finger. Nicky had spotted them and was waving in an overly-dramatic fashion.

Sylvie took Alex's hand in hers, leading the way to the spot Nicky had saved for them.

"Vause. Sylvia. About time you two showed up." Nicky greeted them. She held a hot dog slathered in ketchup and mustard in one hand and a large soda in the other.

"Yeah, well, she's lucky I even came at all," Alex said, nudging Sylvia playfully. She was only half serious.

Nicky took a messy bite of hot dog as Sylvia pouted and said to Alex in a sultry tone, "I promised I'd make it worth your while."

Nicky choked, her eyes practically bulging out of her head. Alex and Sylvia laughed at her as she attempted to swallow the food amidst her sputtering coughing fit. She gulped her soda, managing to wash the last of it down. Without even acknowledging the fact that she had just almost choked to death, Nicky waggled her eyebrows up and down and said suggestively, "Well, I guess I know what you two are doing later tonight. It's probably pointless of me to ask if you're planning to stop by Poussey's?"

Alex seemed to consider it, hem-hawing around giving an actual answer. It was Sylvia who replied to Nicky, "No, I think we're going to pass on Poussey's tonight."

Alex shrugged at Nicky, rolling her eyes so Sylvie couldn't see. Of course she wanted to hang out with her friends; it was a Friday night after all. But Sylvia wasn't exactly close with any of them and usually just ended up whining to Alex all night about how she was ready to leave.

In the past, Alex would have ditched whatever girl she was seeing in favor of her friends; however, she was trying to give this thing with Sylvia an actual chance. She wanted to be a good girlfriend. She had never been in a real relationship before; up until Sylvia she had only fooled around casually with other girls. She really liked Sylvia, which was a first for her. Not only did Alex find her physically attractive, but she enjoyed spending time with her as well. Sylvia was spunky and feisty, and Alex really liked that about her.

Alex threw her arm around Sylvia's shoulders, pulling her in for a quick one-armed hug. She smacked her lips against Sylvia's temple, and Sylvie batted her away with a laugh. Even though Alex wished she was able to go to Poussey's for a while, she knew she and Sylvia would have a lot of fun on their own.

"Hey, look!" Nicky exclaimed, pulling Alex out of her thoughts. "Morello's gonna be the top of the pyramid!"

The football field was clearing out for the half-time show. The cheerleaders were all taking their positions, as many spectators filed down the bleachers to obtain more refreshments during the break.

"So what's the deal with you two? You back on?" Alex asked as she watched the half-time routine. She couldn't help wishing Jessica Wedge would fall flat on her face as some buff dude hoisted her into the air.

Nicky's voice dropped down an octave. "Man, I don't know. Same old shit. We've been hanging out a lot more since Christopher started dating Angela Kuznick, so I guess that's something. Straight girls." Nicky shrugged like there was nothing she could do.

Alex shook her head in sympathy. "She going to Poussey's tonight?"

Nicky cheered loudly as Lorna knelt at the top of the pyramid, her bright red lips stretched into a wide smile. "Last I heard, yeah. But that can change at the drop of a hat if _Christopher_ is going to some other party," Nicky replied, uttering Christopher's name in a mocking, whiny voice.

As the pyramid disassembled, Sylvia tugged lightly on the hem of Alex's black tank top. "Babe, I'm hungry. Can we go get some popcorn or something?"

"Sure," Alex agreed easily, standing up and grasping Sylvie's hand. "Nicky, you want anything?"

Nicky shook her head, only removing her eyes from Lorna for a brief moment to glance at Alex. "Nah, I'm good. I'll wait here and save our seats."

Alex and Sylvia made their way to the end of a long line of people who had similar ideas to theirs on how to spend the half-time break.

…

Piper felt the cool metal of the bleachers pressed against the back of her thighs as she sat sandwiched between her boyfriend, Larry, and best friend, Polly. Her black shorts were obscenely short, and even though it was still warm in late August, the cool metallic grate of the bleachers was irritating her skin. She knew that when she stood she'd have those small groovy indents imprinted in her skin. She wished she had opted for black skinny jeans instead. _Note to self for future football games_ , Piper thought.

Polly and Piper had gotten ready together for the game at Polly's; Polly insisting that they deck themselves out in the school colors, red and black. So in addition to her black shorts, Piper was also wearing a thin red tank top and black flip flops. Polly was wearing black leggings and her boyfriend's practice jersey hanging low over them. It was tradition for the girls who dated boys on the football team to wear their practice jerseys to the games.

Polly had French-braided Piper's hair into two long pig tails, one tied off with a black ribbon, the other with a red ribbon. Polly's own hair was done up in a high bouncy ponytail, tied off with the same black and red ribbons as Piper's. They had finished their looks with two stripes of red and black paint under each of their eyes.

Getting all dressed up was the only thing Piper really enjoyed about school football games. Well, that and watching Jessica Wedge fail miserably at cheerleading, made all the more entertaining by the fact that she was completely oblivious to the fact that she totally sucked at the sport.

Piper made eye contact with Polly as Jessica attempted a high kick that came up rather short. The two girls snorted with amusement at the expense of their friend. Jessica was one of their best friends; along with Sarah, the four of them made up the top of the social hierarchy of the junior class. But even though Piper considered Jessica to be one of her best friends, that didn't mean Piper actually _liked_ her. Jessica was the epitome of a mean girl. She wanted to be the prettiest, smartest, most desired girl in the school and was willing to do just about anything to achieve that. Even if it meant putting her best friends down constantly. She wanted to be the girl every other girl was jealous of and every guy was lusting after.

Piper allowed her attention to drift between the cheerleaders, people-watching, and her own thoughts. She wasn't a big fan of football; she found the sport itself rather dull, but the atmosphere of a high school game was what appealed to her. She took her cues from Larry on when to cheer and when to boo, allowing her thoughts to wander.

She hadn't meant to, but her eyes locked onto the one girl she probably hated most in this word. Alex Vause. No one made her blood boil the way Alex did. The dark haired girl was so smug and just rubbed Piper the wrong way, what with her total disregard for the status quo. Alex didn't have to try in her classes to get good grades like Piper did. Alex somehow exuded a sense of cool without spending loads of money on the trendiest clothing. She had this effortless way of moving through the world with a carefree attitude, and if Piper was able to look deeply within herself, she'd realize that she was jealous that Alex seemed to be everything Piper wasn't, but wished she could be. Alex was free from parental and societal expectations, able to live her life as she damn well pleased.

Alex's eyes met hers in an intense gaze. Piper hoped she looked menacing. What was she even doing at a school football game? This was the last place Piper expected to see Alex, and her unexpected appearance brought Piper's mood down considerably.

A girl appeared at Alex's side, pointing somewhere behind where Piper was sitting Piper watched as the two climbed the bleachers, hand-in-hand.

That was another thing about Alex that pissed Piper off. Alex was an out lesbian. And no one seemed to give much of a fuck. Sure, Alex was on the receiving end of an occasional negative or homophobic remark (usually spouted from Piper or one of her friends), but for the most part she was free to live however she pleased in a giant 'Fuck You' to society. Sometimes Piper wondered if that was the whole reason Alex decided to be gay; just another way to make herself stand out as being the complete opposite of socially desirable. Everything about Alex screamed rebel.

The weight of popularity, social expectation, _her parent's_ expectations all contributed to the fact that Piper could never live her life in that way.

By the time half-time rolled around, Piper's ass was numb. Since Pete was on the team, Polly had insisted they arrive to the game thirty minutes before it started to claim the best seats in the student section. Polly had hardly let her gaze waver from Pete's form out on the field, and Piper supposed the game would be more exciting if Larry was out there and she had someone specific to watch and cheer for.

"I'm going to go get some nachos or something," Piper said standing up and stretching her stiff muscles.

Polly raised an eyebrow, "Didn't you already have a hot dog?"

Piper rolled her eyes, "Shut up, Pol. I don't need that from you; I hear enough about my eating habits from Jessica."

Polly smiled apologetically, "Sorry, Pipe. I just don't want you to get out of shape in the off-season and be the slowest runner when track starts back up."

"Well, thanks for your concern, Polly, but I'll be fine." Piper said sarcastically, storming off. She was sure _Alex_ ate whatever she wanted, with no judgment from her friends or family.

…

Alex and Sylvia navigated into the crowd, heading back in the direction of the bleachers. A large bag of popcorn rested between one of her arms and her body, while her other hand loosely held Sylvia's. "Are you having a good time?" Alex shouted into Sylvia's ear to make sure she'd hear her.

"Yes. Thanks for coming with me," the shorter girl replied, her eyes crinkling at the corners as she smiled up at Alex. Alex leaned down and pressed her lips to Sylvie's.

But Alex broke the kiss abruptly as she felt a change of pressure suddenly dislodge the bag of popcorn from her grasp, spilling its contents all over the concrete ground.

"What the…" Alex trailed off as her eyes flitted between the spilled popcorn and Piper's self-satisfied smirk. Confusion was slowly replaced with understanding.

Piper crossed her arms, and looked up into Alex's eyes with the look strikingly similar to that of a bratty seven-year-old giving her mom attitude.

"Didn't you know? Pigs eat off the ground."

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 **A/N: Thanks for reading! Please don't forget to leave a review! I love hearing what you guys have to say (What you liked or didn't like, etc.). Also, as of right now, this story is a pretty basic outline, so let me know if there is anything specific you'd like to see happen between these two and I will try my best to incorporate it into what I have planned out!**


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you so much for all the comments on this story! I really appreciate hearing your opinions. I'm sorry that some of you worried I would abandon this fic when I posted** _ **Crave**_ **! I have no intentions to abandon this fic; however, it is a little more intense for me to write as well as a bit difficult for me to write Piper as a mean girl. Because of this, I wanted to also post a fic that is more light-hearted and easier for me to write. That is one of the reasons this chapter took me a while to finish. The other reason is that I really wanted to flesh out my outline for this story. Because of this, I do have a new warning to add here.**

 **WARNING: This fic will contain aspects of disordered eating. Nothing too intense, but it will be mentioned. If this is triggering for you or upsets you, you may not want to continue reading this fic.**

 **Before getting into the next chapter, I wanted to go a bit into the inspiration for this fic, and kind of defend Piper's characterization as a mean girl/bully.**

 **During the few episodes where Pennsatucky is out to get Alex and Piper; Alex says, referring to privileged rich girls, "those types of girls tortured me my whole fucking life."**

 **There are numerous instances of Piper having a temper and being impulsive when she's angry. It was Piper who sent Tucky into the bathroom with the girl from the scared straight program, sending her to psych.**

 **Alex also says to Piper at one point, "we both know dealing with emotional chaos is not one of your strong suits."**

 **So this is where the idea of Piper being a bitch to Alex in high school kind of came about.**

 **Also, things to keep in mind about this fic:**

 **A few of you guys mentioned you want to see Alex fight back, and she will but in her own way! This is also inspired by those same episodes. Alex says "You want to get to someone, you got to have the long game."**

 **The way Alex and Piper dealt with Tucky was very different; Piper (to me) seemed more impulsive and driven by her anger, while Alex seemed to sit back, not get too worked up over things, and really think out a smart comeback.**

 **Also, Piper does have a conscious! She felt bad that Tucky was in psych after hearing how bad it was and, even though it could have cost her a trip to the SHU, she made things right.**

 **So these are all things I am thinking about while I write this fic! I hope the characters stay true to who they are, even though I am focusing (right now) on some of the more extreme aspects of their personalities. I love how complex Piper and Alex are as individuals and also as a couple, and I hope to emulate that as best I can in this story!**

 **I'm sorry that was so long, but I hope this will help some of you deal with Piper in this role. I don't plan to keep her in the mean girl role for long, but I do want her to have some nice character development along the way. From this chapter on, we should start to see some improvements in Piper's behavior.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Orange is the New Black.**

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Chapter 2

The following morning, Piper awoke with the urge to go for a run. She could almost feel all the junk food she had eaten the night before sitting heavy in her stomach. She rolled her head to the left, checking the time on the alarm clock that was situated on the table behind Polly's sleeping head. The red numbers flashed 7:15am.

She shifted carefully and slowly proceeded to extricate herself from the covers and climb quietly out of bed. Polly was a fairly light sleeper and hated to be woken early on weekends. Piper tiptoed to Polly's dresser and found a pair of gym shorts, tank top, and sports bra to borrow. The blonde glanced once more toward her sleeping friend, before changing quickly into the newly acquired athletic attire.

She was out the door seconds later, tennis shoes thumping against the sidewalk softly as she found her rhythm. Piper loved to run. Especially in the morning. She found it was a great way to start her day. Running really helped Piper clear her mind of the inconsequential worries that nagged at her, while at the same time allowing her to focus in and concentrate on the truly significant problems she faced each day (It was only an added bonus that she would burn off some of the calories from the garbage she had ingested at the game the previous night).

She thought about her parents. Bill and Carol Chapman were expert illusionists; flawlessly impersonating a happily married couple with three perfect, well-behaved children. But of course, the ruse was only for the community; they weren't quite good enough (or they really just didn't care enough) to fool their own children.

Piper knew of her father's affairs, of her mother looking the other way. She knew her older brother Danny used heroin and her younger brother Cal was picked on at school for being a bit overweight. Piper coped by avoidance.

The middle child ran track in the spring, did drama club in the fall. She was a member of various school clubs and organizations, including student council, French club, and debate team. Anything she could do to prolong her time away from home, from her parents, was fair game. She even joined the art club last year, despite the fact that she has zero artistic ability.

On days where she didn't have after school activities, or if they ended a bit too early for her liking, Piper often studied and finished her homework at the public library. While the blonde was a good student, academics didn't always come easy for her. Piper was great at English and History, but the hard sciences were difficult for her. Piper had to work really hard to maintain her 4.0 grade point average, but she was determined to succeed so that she could get into a decent college far away from Litchfield.

On weekends, Piper typically stayed overnight with Polly or Sarah. If she was really desperate, she'd even resort to sleeping over at Jessica's. The only time Piper ever tried to be home was Tuesday and Friday afternoons, because that's when Diane worked.

The Chapman children obviously didn't need a nanny anymore, but Diane stayed on as their housekeeper two days a week. Piper made an effort to be home for a few hours once a week when Diane was working so she could catch up with the older woman.

Diane was almost like a big sister or a fun aunt to Piper. She had watched Piper and her brothers grow up, and knew all of Piper's hardships. Piper felt that she could confide in Diane, and the two had a pretty close relationship. The teenager had pulled away from Diane a bit in recent years as her relationship with Alex became more volatile, assuming the older girl would tell her mother all about the malicious things Piper did to her. But Diane never treated Piper differently, and Piper had to wonder if Diane even knew about the way the blonde treated her daughter.

As Piper ran, she recalled the look on Alex's face as she knocked the popcorn from her grasp. In retrospect, Piper felt bad. Rationally, she knew Alex had never done anything to hurt her, and the negative feelings she had toward the darker haired girl stemmed from within herself. She knew Diane would be devastated if she found out the hurtful things Piper said and did to Alex, but in the moment, Piper found it difficult to control herself around the older girl. She acted impulsively, out of anger, whenever she was around Alex, because Alex always reminded her of everything negative in her life.

And after each nasty remark or cruel behavior toward the dark haired girl, Piper felt an instantaneous lift in her mood. It didn't last long, and honestly, she usually regretted and felt bad about her behavior later on; but in that moment, she forgot all about her own troubles. And that was enough to keep the cycle repeating.

When Piper returned to Polly's house thirty minutes later, her shorter friend was awake and getting ready for the day.

"Have a good run?" Polly asked, looking up from where she sat at her vanity as Piper appeared in her doorway, slightly shiny from working up a light sweat.

Piper was still breathing hard as she nodded her response. She smiled and said, "I think I worked off those nachos."

Polly's dramatic eye roll was accompanied by a small smile of her own. She refocused her gaze to her own reflection and continued to apply her make up. Piper sat heavily on the edge of her best friend's bed and grabbed her phone from its resting place on the night stand. Polly said, "You know what? Seriously, screw Jessica! We are both in really good shape and have smokin' bodies! We should be able to eat whatever we want, guilt-free."

Piper hummed in agreement as she scrolled through her phone. She had new text messages from Larry and Sarah. They both wanted to know her plans for the night.

"What are you doing tonight?" Piper asked, not responding to either text just yet.

Polly sighed exaggeratedly. "It's my grandma's birthday, so we're driving to Hebron to spend the day with her and take her to dinner."

Piper frowned. Polly noticed. "I could ask my parents if you could go with us, but I promise you, it's going to be a total drag."

"No," Piper shook her head, "That's okay. I can hang out with Larry or Sarah or something."

While Piper was dating Larry and was close to Sarah, Polly was still her best friend and they preferred to spend most of their free time together.

Polly finished getting ready and said, "Text me if anything fun comes up tonight. I don't know when we'll get home, but if it's early enough I'll try to make it out."

…

The second Piper crossed the threshold to her house, she regretted her decision to come home immediately.

Her mother and father were shouting at each other in the kitchen, Carol clearly drunk already. Piper checked the time on her phone. It was only 1 o'clock. She shook her head and rounded the corner of the living room to head upstairs to her room. As she reached the second floor landing, she heard the distinct clanging of a metal pot being thrown into a wall. She cringed and hurried down the hallway, passing her own room on her way to Cal's.

Cal was situated on his floor with his back leant against his bed playing some intense looking video game. The volume was cranked to the extreme. Piper didn't blame him.

"Hey," she said, entering the room slowly in an attempt to not startle her younger brother.

Cal looked up, a surprised smile lighting up his face. "Hey, Piper!"

Piper slid onto the floor next to him and watched him play for a few minutes. She asked, "They been like that all morning?"

Cal nodded, and Piper could see the sadness cloud his eyes. She felt guilty for leaving him to deal with the mess that is their parents alone. She put an arm around his shoulders and said, "Sorry I'm never here."

She felt her younger brother's shoulders raise in a slight shrug. "It's okay. I can usually drown them out with my games. I don't blame you for not wanting to be here."

Piper still felt guilty, but not guilty enough to stay. Instead she stood and said, "Tell you what. How about one night this week, I'll take you out for dinner. We can have some sibling time to catch up."

"That sounds great, Pipe." Cal beamed at her. Only a few more years and he'd be able to drive, too. Then they'd both have a getaway and she wouldn't have to feel so guilty all the time.

…

Alex stood in the middle of her room wearing only a racer-back bra and boy shorts. Her hands were on her hips as she exhaled a frustrated sigh, the force of the released air so powerful it blew the strands of hair hanging across her forehead out of her face for a second. Her eyes darted around the room in annoyance, refusing to focus on the cause of her aggravation.

Sylvia was sprawled across Alex's twin bed pouting. "I just don't see why it would be a big deal for you to skip out on work this one time," she whined.

Alex dropped her arms from her hips, annoyed to even be having this conversation right now. She had to be at work in twenty minutes. "Because, Sylvie, I need the money. And I like this job; I don't want to do anything to piss Red off." Alex took in a deep breath to calm herself and sat on the corner of the bed next to Sylvia's feet. "There will be a ton of parties we can go to together, I promise. You should just go tonight without me and have fun with your friends." She squeezed one of her girlfriend's socked feet.

Sylvia bit her lip and looked away from Alex. Alex could tell she was disappointed, and that grated on her nerves. _Why couldn't Sylvia understand that she_ needed _this job?_ Sylvia sat up slowly and came to kneel behind Alex, wrapping her arms around the dark haired girl's shoulders. She leaned in and spoke into Alex's ear, "I just know I won't have as much fun without you. Maybe I can just hang out at the diner and keep you company?"

Alex's eyes widened, and she answered quickly, "No! It'll be really busy, Syl, since it's Saturday, and you'll be bored. You should go hang out with your friends."

Alex really just needed some space from her girlfriend. They'd been spending a lot of time together recently, which was fine, but Alex was beginning to feel a bit suffocated.

Sylvia released Alex from her embrace and moved to sit beside her on the edge of the bed. "Well, what time do you get off? Maybe you could swing by the party then?"

Alex averted her eyes feeling the tiniest bit guilty. She admitted, "I'm hanging out with Nicky after my shift."

Sylvia groaned, standing abruptly from the bed. "Whatever, Alex." She grabbed her bag from the floor by the bedroom door and stormed out of the room. Alex heard her call from the front door, "I'll see you later."

Alex knew she should probably go after her and make things right, but if she did that she'd for sure be late for her shift. She'd deal with Sylvia later.

…

Larry had his arm slung over Piper's shoulders as they sat snuggled into one another on his basement couch. A movie Piper wasn't all that interested in played on the television.

Larry twirled a piece of Piper's long blonde hair around his finger, then pushed it to the side so he could lean in and kiss her softly on the neck. Piper rolled her eyes; she really wasn't in the mood to fend off Larry's advances.

Piper sat stock still, hoping Larry would get the point that she wasn't into it. He didn't, of course, or if he did he chose to ignore it, and continued to kiss and suck at her pulse point. Piper pulled away somewhat, in an attempt to detach his lips from her skin, but he followed her movement, pushing her slightly back to rest against the arm of the couch.

"Larry. Lar." Piper protested, finally pushing him back by his shoulders. "I don't want a hickey."

Larry looked down into Piper's eyes and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, Pipe, I guess I got carried away." He leaned down to connect his lips to hers and she let him kiss her a bit, trying to get into it.

Her mind, however, was still focused on her parents' argument and how Cal was left home to be exposed to it. She felt bad for her younger brother and felt guilty that she didn't do much to keep him occupied outside of their house. She promised herself that she'd try harder; Cal was a good kid, really funny and kind, and Piper didn't want him to become jaded by her parents' problems.

Piper heard her phone buzz on the coffee table. _Thank God._ She pushed Larry off of her and offered a small apologetic smile. "My phone," she said by way of explanation as to why she cut their make-out session short.

"Hey, Pol," she greeted as she answered the call, turning her back to Larry. She felt the couch shift and knew he had settled back in to watch the movie.

"Heya, Pipe! I got back from my grandma's earlier than I thought, that woman eats dinner at like four every day, and I would kill for a milkshake or smoothie. Wanna go to the diner?"

"Yeah, Polly, that sounds great. I'm at Larry's; can you pick me up?"

"Of course. I'll text Jess and Sarah too. We haven't hung out all together in a while now."

"Okay, see you soon!"

Piper hung up, and turned to meet the disappointed eyes of Larry. "You're leaving already?"

"I'm sorry, Larry. I've just got a lot on my mind lately and could really use some girl-talk."

Larry forced a small smile. "I understand. But can we make out until she gets here?"

Piper sighed.

…

The bell above the diner door signaled the arrival of new customers. Alex looked up from her place behind the register where she was cashing a family of four out. Her eyes caught Lorna's where she stood behind the counter across from Nicky who was situated on tall diner stool. Alex nodded her head toward the door, silently questioning if Lorna could seat them and get their orders placed.

Alex finished attending to the paying customers, then made her way over to Nicky. She said to her wild-haired best friend, "I thought you came to hang out with me? Now I know the real reason you chose to spend your Saturday night at the diner." Alex shifted her eyes playfully from Nicky to Lorna who was taking drink orders from a couple with a baby. They watched as Lorna leaned down to make baby-talk to the infant.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, Vause. You know I only come into this shithole for you." Nicky said, turning her attention back to her best friend.

"Hey, now!" Red said, in a thick Russian accent, as she passed by the two girls on her way to deliver a plate of food. She thwacked Nicky in the back of her head with a rag.

"Aww, I'm just joking, Red. You know I love this place." Nicky pleaded. Nicky and Red had a very special relationship. Nicky had been coming to this diner since she was a small child, and Red had become like a second mother to the auburn haired girl.

Red smiled her understanding and disappeared back into the kitchen.

"So what's new, Vause? I feel like I hardly see you anymore." Nicky asked as Lorna returned shortly after getting the customers' orders in to Red.

Alex sighed. "I know. I've been spending a lot of time with Sylvia. I really like her, but I miss you guys."

Nicky laughed. She said, "You should bring her around! That way we can all hang out together."

Alex shook her head with a roll of her eyes. She didn't want to tell them that Sylvia didn't really want to spend time with her friends. "I know. Maybe next weekend," she said, not going into any more detail. "How was Poussey's?"

Nicky and Lorna's eyes met. Nicky smiled and turned back to Alex. "It was fun. Basically the same shenanigans as always. Some drinking, some pot-smoking. Nothing too exciting or out of the ordinary."

Alex nodded. That sounded about right. Nights at Poussey's were always pretty chill, but Alex enjoyed spending time with her friends in that kind of low-key setting.

Another family appeared at the door, and Alex made a move to go seat them. Lorna gently laid her hand on Alex's arm and said, "I got them. You two keep talking."

Alex smiled her thanks to the shorter girl. Lorna really was sweet, and it seemed like she and Nicky were on good terms which was good for her friend.

Alex raised her eyebrow at Nicky after Lorna left. "Did something happen between you two at Poussey's?"

Nicky actually blushed. Nicky never fucking blushed. "We kissed, and we talked about taking things slow and seeing where they go. So I guess we're kinda dating."

Alex's face broke into a full smile, "That's awesome, Nick. I'm really happy for you guys."

Nicky beamed. "Thanks, man. It's really great." Nicky seemed a little embarrassed. "But enough about me. Anything else going on with you?"

Alex thought for a minute, unsure if she was ready to confide in her best friend. She looked around, noting that Lorna was still busy with the new customers and no one else was paying them any attention. Alex leaned in and lowered her voice. "I've been thinking about trying to see my dad."

Nicky's eyes widened in surprise. "Wow. Really?"

Alex nodded. "Death Maiden is doing a small reunion tour and they have a show in New York City in April. Tickets aren't too expensive, so I've been putting aside a little money from each of my checks to save for one."

"I know that you've always wondered about him, and now you can finally get some answers. I think it's great, Alex." Nicky gave Alex an encouraging smile. Alex smiled back. She knew it was kind of a long shot that her dad would be everything she imagined him to be, and she knew realistically, he could be a huge disappointment. But she _had_ to find out for herself.

…

As Piper and her friends walked into the diner, her eyes immediately found Alex's. She watched as Alex rolled her eyes at their arrival, mumble something to her friends (she recognized one of them as Lorna Morello, a fairly popular girl who cheered with Jessica and Sarah), and sauntered their way.

"Booth or table?" Alex barked out, not even pretending to be polite. Sarah scoffed and narrowed her eyes at the waitress.

"Booth, please," she said, fake sweetness dripping from her tone.

Alex led them to a booth in the corner and dropped four menus carelessly onto the table top. "I'll be back in a few minutes to take your order."

Piper's eyes followed as Alex returned to her spot behind the counter and continued her conversation with her friends.

Jessica rolled her eyes and said, "Why do we even come to this dump? It looks like it hasn't been cleaned in weeks, not to mention the employees leave something to be desired." Jessica's eyes flitted to Alex.

Polly shrugged and said defensively, "They have good smoothies." Jessica just rolled her eyes and picked up a menu. Piper wondered if her eyes could permanently get stuck mid-roll one day. She smirked to herself at the image and picked up her own menu.

"What are you gonna get?" Polly asked her.

Piper bit her lip in thought. "A chocolate milkshake sounds really good," Piper replied, as Alex reappeared at their table.

Jessica raised an eyebrow at this. "Are you sure you wanna do that Piper? You've been looking a little _fuller_ in the face lately. You may want to opt for something more low cal."

Piper's cheeks reddened slightly at being called out and put on the spot in front of her friends. Sarah gave a quiet snort of laughter behind her menu, but Polly gave her a sympathetic smile.

Piper's eyes met Alex's, expecting to see ridicule in them as well. Instead, Alex was shooting daggers into Jessica's head. Piper cleared her throat and said, "Low-fat strawberry smoothie for me, then."

Jessica smiled, satisfied. "Good choice, Piper. I can't have my friends looking like whales; it'd ruin our image and make our group pictures way less attractive." She turned to look at Alex. "I'll have the same."

Polly and Sarah echoed their orders. Alex cleared her throat. "So four low-fat strawberry smoothies? They should be out soon." Four heads nodded.

Alex turned to walk away, but Jessica called after her. "Oh, and waitress? I'd like mine in an extra cold glass," she said, smiling sweetly, but her narrowed eyes told a different story.

"No problem," Alex replied, feigning that same sweetness.

Alex returned a short while later with a tray of pink smoothies. She set each one out in front of the girls, saving Jessica's for last. "And one in an extra cold glass," she said, looking directly into Jessica's eyes. Piper watched as Jessica actually seemed a bit flustered by the eye contact, averting her eyes away quickly. "Enjoy."

The girls drank their smoothies, and listened to Jessica rant about a new Freshman cheerleader who was having trouble keeping up in the routines. As they drank, Jessica began to talk less, her silence filled in by Polly telling them about her most recent date with Pete. Piper noticed Jessica beginning to look uncomfortable, her face flushing an unflattering shade of red.

"I knew this place was disgusting," Jessica said clutching her stomach lightly. "My stomach is already upset. They probably used bad strawberries or something."

After seeing Jessica looking rather ill, Piper pushed her half-finished smoothie away from her with a frown.

Alex returned to the table with the checks. Jessica looked up at her with fire in her eyes. "I'm not paying for this. I think it gave me food poisoning."

Piper noticed Alex trying to hold back a chuckle. She said with a smirk, "Yeah, about that. Yours is on the house. It seems the cook got the order mixed up. Instead of low-fat, she made yours with whole milk, full-fat yogurt, and put a heaping scoop of fiber in it." Alex leaned down and looked at her with exaggerated sympathy. Her eyes scrunched up, mouth turned up in a half grin/half grimace. She said, "You might wanna hurry home. I have a feeling you're gonna have to camp out in the bathroom for most of the night."

Jessica eyes widened comically. She groaned and clutched at her stomach as she hurried out of the booth. "You better watch your back, Vause." She said, as menacingly as she could while bent over clutching her belly. A light sheen of sweat had begun to form along her forehead and her face was still flushed pink. "Come on girls." Jessica rushed out of the diner ahead of them.

Piper, Polly, and Sarah sat in stunned silence for a moment, before all three of them burst into laughter. Sarah composed herself quickly; she was, after all, Jessica's lapdog. She rushed out after her friend.

Alex had returned to her spot by Nicky and Lorna and three of them were chuckling quietly. Piper and Polly stood from the booth. "You gotta hand it to her," Polly began, "that was awesome."

Piper nodded, meeting Alex's amused gaze. The dark haired girl was smirking proudly. Piper wasn't sure exactly what made her do it (She still detested Alex), but she threw a twenty-dollar bill onto the table to show her appreciation for Alex's prank.

As Polly pulled Piper from the diner, Piper can't help but look back into Alex's mirthful eyes once more. As their eyes met, they _almost_ had a moment. Almost.

* * *

 **A/N: I'd love to hear what you guys think! Please leave a review :)**


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hello everyone! I'm so excited to return to this story after 2 years! I chose to focus on finishing up my other fic,** _ **Crave**_ **, before coming back to this one, but now that that one is complete I have started to think about this fic much more.**

 **Thank you for all the readers who have left reviews asking me to continue with this one! I am always so appreciative and excited when you guys enjoy the stories I write; it is such a HUGE motivator to keep going!**

 **Unfortunately, there is not much new in this chapter. I decided to rework a little of it (the section about the therapy session) and mess with the timeline a bit. In the original version I skipped ahead about a month in between the therapy session and the last scene in this chapter; after re-reading it, I decided I wanted to dig more into Piper's therapy sessions & slow her progress a bit.**

 **So, here is the slightly updated Chapter 3 of** _ **Fall Girl!**_ **Chapter 4 should be up within a week or so!**

Chapter 3

 _No, no, no, no, no._ _This can't be happening._

Piper sat statue still on the couch, knees touching and arms folded across her chest protectively. Her mind was racing a mile a minute. She felt Cal scooch a bit closer to her.

"I know that this will be hard for you both, but we feel that divorcing will be better for all of us in the long run. Your mother and I aren't happy together and we can see how that is affecting you both as well. I thought it was important for you guys to grow up with both parents under the same roof, but now I see that we've only been hurting you and ourselves."

Piper's eyes darted between the faces of her parents. Her dad was calm and collected, but her mom looked hurt and upset. She knew all of this stemmed from her father's infidelity, and it really pissed her off how _okay_ he seemed about all this.

Piper hugged her arms tighter across her chest. She felt hot, angry tears begin to well up in her eyes. As a lone tear trailed down her cheek, Piper narrowed her eyes at her dad. "This is all your fault. You've _ruined_ our family. I hope you're happy!"

She jumped up from the couch, needing to get out of there. Hearing Cal sniffle behind her, she took one of his hands and pulled him along with her. She looked at her mom and said, "I'm taking Cal to dinner. We'll be back later tonight."

She ignored her dad as she marched out the door.

…

That first week was tough. Piper's mom moved out almost immediately into a small house her dad was paying for until the divorce was settled. Bill made appointments for Piper and Cal to see a therapist. They were allowed to come and go from either house as they pleased, but for Piper this wasn't such a big deal since she was rarely home anyway.

On Monday, Piper was still reeling from the bomb her dad had dropped on her the previous day. She knew her mother was in the process of moving out, and it felt weird for her to be going on about her day as usual when something so huge was happening at home.

She was not in the mood to deal with Jessica's shit, so she bought a pack of carrot and celery sticks and a small cup of ranch dressing for dipping. Piper and her friends made their way across the cafeteria toward their usual table, but Jessica, still pissed about the prank Alex had pulled on her on Saturday, decided to make a pit stop.

Jessica stopped in front of Alex, who was eating from a school lunch tray. Piper felt a small jolt of excitement shoot through her at the prospect of releasing some of her pent up anger on her favorite target.

"Hey girls," Jessica started by addressing Piper, Sarah, and Polly, even though her gaze was locked with Alex's. "Pigsty's got the school lunch. Looks like even her mom thinks she's a pig and deserves to eat like one. That, or her mom can't afford anything better. But that's kind of surprising considering her line of work, huh, pigsty?"

Alex's jaw wasn't the only one tightening up in response to the dig at her mom. Piper's eyes had narrowed at her blonde friend, heat flushing her cheeks in anger. Before Alex could retaliate, Piper growled, "Don't say another word about her mom. Leave her out of it."

Jessica raised a confused eyebrow in Piper's direction, while still managing to keep her expression cool. "What if I don't want to leave her out of it? Everyone's heard the rumors. We all know her mom whores herself around town to make living." Jessica turned her gaze back to Alex's, "How does it feel to know that your disgusting school lunch was paid for by some dick your mom got off?"

Alex stood quickly, her chair knocking out from behind her. She looked like she was about to dive across the table and murder Jessica, but she hesitated.

In that moment, Piper's own anger had bubbled over the top, and she was surprised to realize that this time, it wasn't directed at Alex. She gave Jessica a hard shove, knocking her friend slightly off balance. "I said shut up!"

Jessica dropped her apple and as it rolled away, she looked at Piper in outraged shock, "What the _fuck_ , Piper?!"

But Piper was still seething. It felt _good_ to push Jessica. Better than it ever had to mess with Alex, because Jessica actually deserved it. She huffed out a puff of air and began to lunge at Jessica again.

Before she could get far, Polly latched onto Piper's arm holding her back. "Piper, it's not worth getting suspended over. Calm down."

Piper took a deep breath. She knew Polly was right. As she calmed herself, she began to notice things she hadn't seen in her blind rage. A small crowd had formed around the spectacle, and Piper was amazed it hadn't drawn the attention of the principal yet. Alex was still standing from her spot across the table. She was looking at Piper with a hint of confusion and something close to pride. The look caused a pleasant shiver to run up Piper's spine.

Jessica was looking at Piper with a mixture of annoyance and confusion, her hands were raised defensively.

"Piper, come on. Let's go," Polly tugged at her friend's arm, and Piper acquiesced, allowing Polly to pull her across the cafeteria.

…

The rest of the week flew by. Piper was adjusting to a new life, a new way of thinking about the world around her. She was torn with her feelings about the divorce. On the one hand, it went against everything her family was about. Keeping up appearances, not letting anyone see the struggles you're really going through, putting up a front. Piper was brainwashed into thinking this was the way things should be, and was left wondering what her friends would think of her when they found out her life wasn't perfect, like she led them to believe.

On the other hand, things had been good this week. With her mom moved out, there was no more yelling, screaming, and throwing pots and pans around. The house was peaceful, and for the first time in as long as she could remember, Piper didn't dread going home at the end of the day.

Her dad seemed happier, and was more attentive to his children's needs. He was teaching himself a few recipes and had cooked dinner for Cal, Piper, and himself the previous few nights.

When Piper went to visit her mother on Tuesday to see her new house, her mother seemed better, too. She wasn't drunk in the middle of the day, which Piper hadn't seen in a long time. It seemed the Carol was happily decorating the house and reconnecting with a few old friends.

Things actually seemed good for the first time in a long time.

Thursday was the day of her first therapy session, and she didn't know what to expect. Like everything in her life at the moment, therapy produced mixed feelings in Piper. She was anxious, and just the thought of being in therapy made her cringe. The stigma attached to it was too much, and Piper was afraid that one of her friends would find out. But the thought of having someone to talk to about everything she was going through free of judgment, was appealing.

It only took one session for Piper to decide she enjoyed therapy. Her therapist was younger, which helped Piper relate to her. She had a professional look, but she was still pretty. She was warm and friendly, and Piper liked her immediately. She was also relieved to discover that the whole laying on a couch thing while you bare your soul was a therapy myth. They just sat across from each other in comfortable armchairs; she liked the informal feel of it all.

In their first session, Piper and Dr. Rogers got to know each other, which Dr. Rogers said was meant to "build a trusting and supportive environment." She asked Piper about herself, and Piper discovered that she really didn't know how to describe herself very well.

"I'm a junior this year and really involved in school activities. Outside of that, I spend a lot of time with my friends." Piper shrugged, not really sure where Dr. Rogers wanted her to go with that question.

"What are some of your positive personality traits?" Dr. Rogers pressed.

Piper thought for a moment. "I'm a hard worker; a go-getter," she said, thinking about all the time she put into doing well in school and pushing herself to improve her mile times in track. Once she set her mind on a goal (like getting the hell away from this town), nothing could stop her. "Um, organized, I guess. And outgoing, friendly for the most part. Loyal to the people I care about." She felt weird listing her positive traits like this, and to be honest, she didn't really think very positively of herself most of the time. She sort of felt like a hypocrite, thinking about all the times she'd been cruel to Alex; all the times she'd been selfish, leaving Cal to fend for himself with their parents; all the times she'd lost her temper or stood by while Jessica bullied someone. Put Piper wasn't ready to delve into any of _that_ with Dr. Rogers just yet.

"What else?" Dr. Rogers asked.

Piper shrugged. She didn't know how else to positively describe herself. She felt like a liar.

Dr. Rogers nodded. "Those are all good traits to have, Piper. Well, we are just about out of time today. Your homework for the week will be to come up with a list of five positive qualities you possess and five that you would like to work on."

 _Homework?_ That she wasn't expecting. But she replied, "Okay."

"Alright. I'll see you next Thursday."

…

The next day was Friday, and Piper was ready for the weekend. She couldn't believe that already this early in the semester things were beginning to pick up and her stress level was rising.

As she headed in the direction of her locker to drop off her books before lunch, she saw Larry waiting for her there. Admittedly, Piper had not been a very attentive girlfriend this past week; her mind had been focused on other, more important (at least in her mind) things.

"Hi, Piper," her boyfriend greeted, leaning in for a chaste kiss.

"Hey, Larry," she replied with a smile. Even though she had been neglecting him lately, she still really liked him. She opened up her locker and began to organize its contents.

Larry waited for her patiently. "I've missed you, Pipe. Let's do something fun this weekend."

Piper shut her locker and linked her fingers with his. "That sounds great, Larry, really." They began walking in the direction of the cafeteria. "I've missed you, too. I'm sorry I've been so MIA lately." Piper was sincere.

Larry just shrugged and sent her an understanding smile. He said, "I know you've been going through a lot; you don't have to apologize for that."

Piper couldn't believe she had lucked out with a boyfriend who was so understanding. She squeezed his hand and murmured her thanks. "So what did you have in mind for this weekend? I'm supposed to go to my mom's for a few hours at some point, but we can work around that."

Larry began to spout off ideas, but was swiftly interrupted by Polly's sudden appearance at Piper's side.

"Piper, you need to come quick! Jessica has Alex cornered in the bathroom and I think she's actually going to fight her or something." Polly exclaimed, out of breath from her frenzied search for her best friend.

Piper's eyes widened, and she felt a rush of mixed emotions. She knew that if Alex fought Jessica she'd be suspended for sure, which would make Diane really upset. Until now, their bullying of Alex had been mostly verbal; never physical, and she wasn't sure if Alex would keep her mouth shut to Diane if the bullying escalated to that extent. Also, while she still had mixed feelings about Alex, she had actually begun to like the girl after the prank she had pulled on Jessica at the diner, and even though she knew it wasn't true, she still felt like Alex had done it in defense of Piper to Jessica's comment about her weight. But above all, she really just didn't want Alex to get hurt. Plain and simple. And that thought really surprised her.

"I'm sorry, Larry; I have to go! I'll see you at lunch?" With that, the two girls sprinted off before Larry could utter a reply.

Upon entering the bathroom, Piper felt as though she had stepped onto a movie set. The scene was surreal. Jessica and Sarah had Alex cornered and had enlisted a few of the freshman cheerleaders to help them get the job done. Even though she was obviously outnumbered, Alex wasn't backing down and stood proud and intimidating, towering over them.

Jessica and Alex hurled insults back and forth for a few minutes, before Jessica finally lost her cool and punched Alex in the face.

Piper had never seen anyone get punched before in real life. The thud of fist colliding with skull made her flinch. Alex's glasses snapped in half and fell to the ground.

Jessica said, "That was for the smoothie, dyke!" and then stamped on one of the glasses halves with her foot, shattering the lens. "Let's go," she said to her posse, turning to leave the room.

Alex had brought her hand to her now bleeding nose, and squinted after Jessica. Piper remembered from when they were kids how blind the darker haired girl was without her glasses. Alex tried to keep her cool not wanting to do anything rash that would risk suspension or expulsion, at the worst. Piper watched her as she took a long, slow breath in, muttering "Fucking bitch," under her breath.

"Piper, are you coming?" Polly asked from the doorway. The other girls had already left. Alex looked up and squinted in Piper's general direction.

"Um, I actually have to use the bathroom. I'll just meet you in the cafeteria."

After Polly exited, Piper cautiously made her way over to Alex.

"Are you okay?" She asked softly, trying to show Alex that she could trust her.

Alex seemed hesitant, but when Piper didn't do anything threatening, she replied, "I think that bitch broke my nose. And my glasses are ruined. I'm going to have to buy new ones. Shit." The stream of words were spoken more to herself than Piper, and she sounded more in shock than angry.

Piper bent down to pick up the halved glasses frame and handed them to Alex. She then picked up the biggest glass shards and threw them into the trash can. Alex walked slowly over to the sink and began running a paper towel under a stream of cold water. When the towel was soaked, she pressed it to her bloodied nose.

"Do you want me to walk you to the office?" Piper offered.

"No. Why would I go to the office?" Alex asked as she finished cleaning her nose. She fished around in her back pocket and produced a cigarette. She wasted no time lighting it up and taking a long inhale. Piper guessed that she had probably been smoking in here before Jessica confronted her.

"To report Jessica. She should get in trouble for what she did."

Alex raised her eyebrow in disbelief. "I would love to, but this school has such fucked up ways of handling fights that I'd probably get in trouble, too. She's probably already thought up some lie to make it seem like it was self-defense. And she has her clique to back her up."

Piper realized Alex was right. It really wasn't fair that Jessica would get off scot-free after aggressing on another student.

"Why are you helping me?" Alex asked. Her tone indicated that she was genuinely curious.

Piper shrugged. She said quickly, "This doesn't mean we're friends or something. I still hate you, but I don't think you deserved to be punched or have your things broken. Jessica went too far." Piper paused and then grinned. She said, "You can think of it as a thank you for that prank you pulled on her at the diner. Now we're even."

Alex smirked and raised her brow. "I didn't do that for you."

Piper shrugged, "Well, anyway, I enjoyed it."

The two girls stood in silence for a moment, and Piper was beginning to feel a bit uncomfortable. What was this? She wasn't supposed to bond with Alex or feel anything for her other than hatred. But as Alex squinted at her with that smirk still in place, Piper had the fleeting thought that in that moment, Alex looked kind of adorable.

Piper cleared her throat and rushed out, "I should probably go. Are you sure you don't need any help getting somewhere?"

Alex seemed to have read her thoughts, because she smiled at Piper knowingly. That smiled immediately irked the blonde. "No. I think I can manage."

Piper nodded and turned to leave.

"Hey, Pipes?" Alex called before she quite reached the door. Piper made a face at the familiar nickname, but turned back in question. "You're cute when you get all worried about me."

Piper blushed and quickly fled the bathroom without a word.

 **A/N: Thank you for reading! If you feel so inclined, please leave a review and let me know what you thought!**

 **You guys are the best!**

 **-HM :)**


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thank you to everyone for the comments on the updated chapter 3 and all the new follows and favorites as well! I am already having fun delving back into this story, and I hope you all have fun reading it!**

Chapter 4

On Tuesday, Piper didn't have anything going on after school; no club meetings, practices, or plans with her friends or Larry. Normally, she would have been annoyed to have a free afternoon in the middle of the week and would have been scrambling to find something to keep her occupied away from home. However, things were still fine at home, so Piper didn't mind having the afternoon free.

It wasn't until she arrived home and noticed the rusted red Oldsmobile in the driveway that she remembered it was Tuesday and Diane would be there. With her hectic schedule and the fact that her dad had given Diane last week off to let things settle after her mom moved out, Piper hadn't seen Diane for weeks and she really had so much she needed to talk to her about.

"Diane?" Piper called as she entered into the living room and continued into the dining room. There, she swung her backpack onto one of the dining room chairs and turned when she heard Diane enter in through the kitchen.

"Hey, kid." Diane's voice sounded sort of bittersweet; like she was happy to see Piper, but also sympathetic to everything that was going on with her parent's separation. It was clear she already knew about the divorce. She held her arms out in invitation, and Piper collapsed into them. "How you holdin' up?"

Piper had truly been doing a good job at keeping her emotions in check, mostly through not allowing herself to think much about everything, if she were being honest. But being in Diane's arms, somewhere she felt safe and cared for, she lost it. Diane was one of the only people she felt she could truly be herself in front of, could allow herself to be raw and vulnerable.

Diane pulled her close and rocked her slightly back and forth. "It's okay, baby. You let it out."

Piper pulled away after a minute, wiping messily at her wet cheeks. "I'm sorry," Piper said, her voice watery. "I just haven't really been letting myself think about it."

Diane smoothed Piper's hair back from her face. "That's okay. Come sit," she said, pulling a chair out for the younger girl. "Do you want some lemonade? I made some earlier."

Piper nodded and smiled through her shining eyes. She took a calming breath to get herself under control. Diane joined her at the table with two glasses of lemonade. "Thanks," Piper said, taking a large swig of the refreshing beverage.

"Of course, sweetie. Do you wanna talk about it?" Diane asked, laying a hand on one of Piper's.

Smiling a sad smile, Piper stared at her glass of lemonade as she spoke. "I'm just confused, I guess. I don't really know how to feel about everything." She paused, and Diane waited. "Things _have_ been better lately." It was kind of hard to admit, but it really couldn't be disputed.

Diane nodded. "Seems like your dad is really on top of things. I mean, your fridge was _full_ when I got here this morning."

Piper laughed. "Yeah, he's been cooking for us the past few days. It's nice." She chewed thoughtfully on the inside of her cheek. "Like I said, things have been better. Dad's been around more, and mom seems happy in her new place. I guess I just don't understand why it has to be this way. Why can't they work through it? Figure out a way to be happy like they are now, only together?"

Diane sighed. "It's hard to understand, I know sweetie. I think your mom and dad tried, but they just couldn't find happiness with each other. It was wearing on them and it was wearing on you kids. I think your dad knew that their problems were affecting you and Cal."

Piper nodded. "I know. I know I'm being selfish; I'm trying really hard not to be and to see it from their perspective. They both really do seem happier now."

"You'll figure out a new family dynamic soon, and it will work for you guys." Piper believed what Diane was saying, and actually that wasn't even what had upset Piper the most about her parent's divorce. But Piper would never admit to Diane that what she was really worried about, what upset her most about the whole situation, was being seen as abnormal, or worse _defective_ in some way, to her friends. Polly, Sarah, and Jessica all had parents who were still happily married. Piper didn't want to be different. She knew she couldn't talk with Diane about this, because Diane was a single mom, and Piper didn't want to offend her by discussing her concern with having a non-traditional family.

Diane checked her watch. "I'm sorry, kid. I've gotta go finish folding the laundry. I had to pick up a few extra shifts at Friendly's, and they want me there at four today, so I have to leave a few minutes early."

Piper stood, starting to grab for her bag to head upstairs to start her homework. But then, she paused and remembered her therapy session and how badly she had felt when trying to come up with positive traits to describe herself. Her therapy homework was to come up with five traits she wanted to work on improving, and one of those was selfishness.

"I can help you fold, if you want." Piper could tell by Diane's look that she was surprised, but she didn't say so.

Instead, she smiled and said, "Sure, that'd be nice, Pipes."

So, Piper followed her through the kitchen and into the laundry room where they began folding the Chapman's laundry.

"Why'd you have to pick up extra shifts at Friendly's?" Piper asked curiously and hoped Diane wouldn't think she was prying.

"Alex broke her glasses, and I can't afford to buy her new ones." Diane replied, and Piper felt heat rise to her cheeks. "Oh, I wanted to ask you, actually, if you've noticed anything going on with her? She told me her glasses fell off when she tripped, and then she accidentally stepped on them, but something about her story just doesn't seem to, I don't know, add up." Diane shook her head, setting to the side a newly folded bath towel. "I wonder if those girls are messing with her again. I know you two aren't super close, but could you try to keep an eye on her? Let me know if she's getting picked on again?"

Piper averted her eyes as she grabbed one of her brother's hoodies, but nodded. She couldn't find her voice to reply; the guilt from Jessica punching Alex in the face weighing heavily on her chest. Diane had no idea that Piper was one of 'those girls' who picked on Alex. Piper didn't know why Alex had never told her, but she was thankful for it; she knew Diane would never look at her same if she found out.

"Thanks, kid." Diane said, finishing the last of the towels. "So, anyway, I need about two hundred dollars to replace the glasses. Right now she's wearing an old pair that she says work fine, but I can tell they're not the right prescription anymore." She glanced at her watch. "Perfect timing. Thanks for the help, Pipes. And listen, things will continue to get better, I promise."

Piper forced a smile and gave Diane one last hug. "Thanks, Diane. I'll see you on Friday."

…

"All I'm saying," Nicky said with her hands held up defensively, "is that she's hot."

Alex's eyebrows raised, intrigued, as she and Silvie joined Alex's friends at lunch the next day. Poussey could hardly contain her laughter as she scooted her lunch over and moved down a seat to allow Silvie and Alex to sit together.

"Who are you guys talking about?" Alex asked with a curious smirk as she settled onto the bench.

Poussey barked out a laugh. "Jessica Wedge!" she exclaimed incredulously.

"Oh, come on." Alex's smirk turned into a scowl as she rolled her eyes. She opened her bag of chips and popped one in her mouth, crunching down on it. She was over Jessica Wedge and really didn't feel like spending her lunch hour discussing the overhyped cheerleader. That girl already got so much attention, did her friends _really_ need to give her more?

Tricia piped up, "She is definitely _not_ my type. I can't handle those high maintenance girls."

Nicky shook her head emphatically. "No, you're missing the point. I'm not saying I'd want to date her. Fuck her brains out? Of course I would. She's a fucking terrible person, but you can't argue that she's not physically attractive."

"Can we talk about _anything_ other than Jessica Wedge? I'm really not in the mood." Alex implored, annoyance apparent in her tone of voice. She squinted through the old pair of glasses she was wearing at the clock that hung at the front of the cafeteria, but couldn't make out the time. Her eyesight had changed a lot since she had last worn this pair, and they were really affecting her ability to clearly see the information her teachers wrote up on the board.

"Right, right. Sorry, Vause." Nicky said as she stared at Alex's glasses, as if only now remembering what had happened between Alex and Jessica. "Are you gonna get new glasses soon? I know you can't see shit with that pair you have on now."

Alex sighed. "I've got some money saved. I'm working Friday and Saturday, so hopefully by the end of the weekend, I'll have enough."

Nicky's eyebrows wrinkled and she leaned forward, closer to Alex. "Wait. Is that the money you've been saving for…" She trailed off, at Alex's pointed look. Alex wasn't ready for anyone, especially Silvie, to know that she was thinking about meeting her dad. It was too personal, and the chance of disappointment too high, she really didn't want anyone's pity if it didn't work out.

Alex nodded discretely to Nicky, but Silvie picked up on their entire exchange. She said, "Have you been saving money for something specific?"

"No," Alex quickly replied. "I've just been trying to save a little from each paycheck, just in case something comes up, you know?"

Silvie lowered her voice a bit, as the rest of the table engaged in another conversation. "You know, babe, I could loan you the money for a new pair of glasses. That way you wouldn't have to use what you have saved up." She smiled sweetly at Alex.

Alex shook her head. She had to really restrain herself from rolling her eyes. "No. Absolutely not," she said emphatically. "I'm not gonna borrow money from you, Silvie. That's kind of fucked up. Like, you want me to be indebted to you or something?"

Surprise and hurt flicked quickly across Silvie's face, and Alex immediately felt bad for taking her frustration out on her girlfriend. Silvie shook her head slightly. "That's not what I meant at all, Alex. I was just trying to be helpful."

Taking her hand as a gesture of apology, Alex said, "It's fine. I'm sorry; I shouldn't have said that. I'm just upset that I have to spend all that money I've saved on new glasses."

Silvie pressed on, suspicion lingering in her eyes. "Is it really that big of a deal though? If you weren't saving the money for anything in particular, why are you so upset?"

Alex blew out a breath to calm herself. Sometimes Silvie really didn't get it. Whether the money was for something specific or not, it _was_ a big deal.

"Because I spent _months_ saving it, Silvie! You know that I give most of my paycheck to my mom to help pay bills. Now, I have to use the little that I've saved for myself to buy new glasses, because some entitled bitch decided to ruin my things. _That's_ why I'm upset." Alex's voice had risen as she began to lose her temper.

"Okay _,_ well _sorry_ for asking. Jesus." Silvie said defensively. Alex could see her eyes become a bit glassy and wondered if the tears were due to anger, hurt, or embarrassment. The rest of the table had been sitting in awkward silence as Alex and Silvie argued, and even Alex was slightly embarrassed that they were doing this in front of her friends.

Silvie blinked and swallowed, attempting to control her emotions. Alex figured she _really_ didn't want to cry in front of all of Alex's friends. She stood abruptly from the table, clutching the still-full lunch tray tightly in her fingers. "I need to print something for sixth period. See you later."

She didn't wait for Alex's reply; instead, she marched away, tossing her uneaten lunch into the trash with unnecessary force.

Nicky's saucer-wide eyes met Alex's. "Whoa," was all she said.

Alex just shook her head with teeth gritted and heaved a long sigh out of her nose. She focused on her lunch, tuning out the rest of the girls at the table as they slowly continued back into their previous conversations. She really didn't feel like joking around today.

…

Silvie didn't text Alex that night, which was definitely unusual. Alex knew she was going to get the silent treatment until she apologized to her girlfriend. But honestly, Alex was enjoying the reprieve from the other girl, so she decided to wait it out a bit longer. And truthfully, Alex was still mad that Silvie's solution to every problem is her family's money. It was an ongoing problem in their relationship; Silvie just didn't get _it_. Alex supposed that when you come from a wealthy family and never have to work for anything, it would be difficult to understand why Alex needed to work, and how important and valuable a paycheck was to her and her mom.

It wasn't her fault, really. Silvie didn't choose the family she was born into just like Alex hadn't chosen hers (not that she wished for something different; she loved her mom and their life together, even when times were tough). But it didn't seem to Alex that Silvie even tried to understand where Alex was coming from; to imagine herself in Alex's shoes. _That_ was the issue. And _maybe_ , even though she wouldn't admit it to herself, Alex was slightly jealous of the ease of Silvie's lifestyle. If Silvie had to replace a broken possession, it would be no problem. If Silvie wanted to buy a ticket to see a band play, she could do so without needing to spend months saving every single penny. If Silvie wanted to focus entirely on school and not add a job into the equation, that was a completely doable option and her parents had her covered. Alex had never had the luxury to not worry about money.

Before lunch the next day, Alex swung by her locker to drop off her books.

"What the fuck?" She mumbled to herself as she opened the door and saw a crisp white envelope laying on the metal bottom. She slid it to the edge and then pulled it out, trading her books for the sealed packet. She closed her locker, taking note of the slanted grate at the top. Someone must have slipped it in between. Flipping the envelope over, the words **for new glasses** were printed neatly across the front.

Alex frowned, wondering if Jessica was messing with her again. She carefully slid her finger along the seam, and peaked inside. "Whaaat?" she mouthed to herself, eyebrows scrunched in confusion. Inside, were ten twenty-dollar bills. Two hundred dollars; enough to buy a new pair of glasses.

A light tap on the back of her shoulder interrupted her confused musing. Alex recognized Silvie's voice before she had fully turned toward the other girl. "I was hoping maybe we could eat lunch together and talk?" Silvie's own eyebrows scrunched in confusion to mirror Alex's confused look as she turned to face her, then traveled down to the envelope in the taller girl's hand. "What's that?"

"Did you –" Alex broke off, shaking her head. Of course, Silvie would still push the issue even though Alex had explicitly told her she didn't want to borrow Silvie's money. "I told you I don't need your money." Alex said instead as she pushed the envelope into Silvie's hands.

Silvie's brow furrowed even more, and Alex knew it was genuine confusion she was displaying; she wasn't _that_ good of an actor. "What are you talking about?" Silvie asked, opening up the envelope. Her eyes widened when she saw the money inside, and she flipped it over to read the words scrawled across the front. "This isn't from me."

Silvie handed the envelope back to Alex, and Alex shrugged, placing it back inside her locker. "Who else would give me money to replace my glasses?" Alex asked, looking to Silvie like she might actually have the answer.

"Beats the hell outta me. Who else _would_ give you that much money?" Silvie asked, bumping her shoulder against Alex's as they began to walk down the hallway toward the cafeteria. "You don't have another girlfriend I need to worry about, do you?" She looked at Alex with a teasing smile, but Alex sensed the very real hint of insecurity in the shorter girl's question.

The grin that spread across Alex's face was mischievous. In a mock Southern Belle accent, Alex brought her hand to her chest and replied, "Well, what can I say? Everyone wants a piece of me, and, really, who can blame 'em? But which of my many suitors could it be?" Silvie laughed at the display and rolled her eyes good-naturedly. Alex chuckled too and said, "Nah. There are no other girlfriends, I promise." She took Silvie's hand and smirked playfully, "Trust me, _you_ are just about all I can handle."

At lunch, Alex and Silvie made up, and Silvie promised to be more understanding when it came to issues of work and money. In return, Alex promised to try to communicate better and not take her anger out on Silvie. For the remaining few class periods after lunch, Alex wondered about who might have left the money in her locker. She had texted Nicky, who had replied, "bitch if I had $200 you know I'm not gonna spend it on your ass!"

It wasn't until the last period of the day that an idea struck her, and she was nearly positive she knew who had left the money. And she wasn't about to let this person get away with it.

When the final bell rang, signaling the end of the school day, Alex rushed to her locker, not caring or being particularly gentle about shoving people aside, out of her way. She quickly grabbed the books she'd need to complete her homework for the night and tucked the envelope in the waistband of her jeans.

She knew that if she hurried out to the parking lot, she should be able to catch her, because the busses blocked the only exit, and so students who drive to school have to wait until the busses are gone.

Somehow she knew exactly where Piper usually parked (not because she ever paid attention to the pretty blonde), and headed in that direction. Piper had only just reached her car, and was bent at the waist, top half buried in her back seat as she settled her backpack on the floor. As she straightened up and turned, Alex was waiting by the driver's side door. The blonde jumped in surprise, and her hand flew to her chest. "Holy shit, Alex!" she exclaimed.

Before she could continue, Alex pulled the envelope out of her waistband and shoved it at Piper's chest. "What the fuck is this?" she demanded.

Piper stuttered, grasping the envelope to her chest to keep it from falling to the ground. She hadn't really expected Alex to figure out the money was from her, much less angrily confront her about it.

"I don't need your guilt-fueled charity, Piper." Alex's voice was dripping with anger.

Even though Piper was taken aback by Alex's reaction, she was not the type of person to show it, nor the type of person to back down when someone was in her face. She pushed the envelope back at Alex. "It's not for _you_ , dumbass. It's for your mom. She told me she had to pick up extra shifts to pay for your new glasses."

Alex rolled her eyes, exasperated. "Well then, _we_ don't need your charity," she amended. Exhaling a long sigh, she shook her head softly and leaned her back against the driver's side door of Piper's car. "I didn't realize she was planning to pay for them. I guess I didn't tell her I have the money saved; she doesn't need to pick up more shifts." She handed the envelope back again, this time more gently. "For real. We don't need it."

"Well, you should tell her soon, so she doesn't pick up any more." Piper said, sounding bratty, but then more sincere she finished, "She seemed stressed."

Alex huffed out a sardonic laugh. She doubted Piper even understood the true meaning of the word stressed. She and her mom had been in far worse situations than needing a couple hundred bucks for new glasses. "I'll tell her, Piper. Thanks for your concern," the dark haired girl replied with an eye roll.

Piper just stared at her expectantly with wide eyes and raised brows. When Alex didn't say anything else, Piper flung her arms out exasperatedly and said with attitude, "Are you just gonna chill against my car all day, or…?" She gestured toward Alex's reclined figure against the side of her car.

Alex smirked and eyed Piper up and down. "You'd like that, wouldn't you?"

Piper blushed at Alex's insinuating tone, but said with a chuckle, "That doesn't even make sense."

"Sure it does." Alex said in response, but didn't offer an explanation. Piper knew she was full of shit and was just messing with her. As Alex turned and began to walk away, Piper called after her, "And it wasn't charity! God knows my dad probably owes Diane a raise, anyway. I care about her, and I know how hard she works. I just wanted to help make things a little bit easier on her, that's all."

Alex actually smiled at Piper's words. Piper may have been an awful witch to Alex, but she knew the blonde had always cared about her mom, making her gifts at Christmas, bringing her back souvenirs when the Chapman's went away on vacation, and getting her a cake for her birthday every year. Even defending her to Jessica a few days ago.

"She cares about you, too, Piper."

...

 **A/N: So I actually had two more scenes I wanted to include in this chapter, but it was getting pretty long and I didn't want to keep you guys waiting any longer.**

 **Please let me know what you think! Reviews are seriously better than cash (okay, maybe not lol) but they are a close second! I'm personally not entirely happy with my writing style at the moment, and am working on progressing, but constructive comments would be much appreciated!**

 **I love and appreciate all of you!**

 **-HM :)**


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Ma?" Alex called as she entered into the small apartment after school the next day. "You home?"

The fact that her mom had taken on extra shifts to earn the money for new glasses had been in the back of Alex's mind since Piper had filled her in the previous day, but Diane had been working the evening shift at Friendly's last night and had gone straight to her bartending shift at The Woodshed afterward, so Alex hadn't had a chance to tell her that she already had the money saved.

"Hey, kid," Diane said as she appeared in the doorway to her bedroom, fastening the black waitress apron around her waist to complete her Friendly's uniform. "How was school?"

"It was fine. Are you about to head to work?" Alex asked, setting her backpack onto the floor by the couch and wandering into the kitchen.

Diane eyed the clock above the stove and nodded. "Well, in about fifteen minutes."

Alex nodded as she pulled some grapes out of the fridge. She turned and set them down on the small breakfast bar that separated the kitchen from the living room. "So, uh, Piper Chapman mentioned you've been taking on some extra shifts to pay for my new glasses?"

"I didn't know you two still talked?" Diane asked curiously, as she joined Alex on the other side of the counter. She snatched a grape from the bag and popped it into her mouth.

Alex shrugged. "We don't, really. But I just wanted to tell you that I've actually been setting aside some money from my paychecks for the last few months, and I've got enough for the glasses. I was gonna go buy a new pair this weekend."

Diane frowned and shook her head. "Oh, Alex, I don't want you to have to use the money you've been saving for new glasses. I'm your mom; that's something I should be responsible for."

Alex tossed a grape gently at her mom's face and laughed when it hit her on the forehead. She said with a smile, "You know we've always been in this together." Diane picked the grape up from where it landed on the countertop and ate it. Alex continued, "Seriously, though. I've got the money saved, and you already work too much as it is. Don't take on anymore extra shifts. I've got it."

Diane pursed her lips as she considered. "Were you saving for something in particular?" she asked.

Alex averted her eyes as she shook her head slowly. She hated lying to her mom. "No."

Diane narrowed her eyes at Alex, clearly unconvinced. She didn't push the issue, though, and for that, Alex was thankful. "Okay, if you're sure, I won't request anymore extra shifts." She smiled mischievously and flung a grape back at Alex in retaliation for the earlier attack. They laughed as it hit the younger girl's shoulder and fell to the floor. Alex bent to pick it up and tossed it in the trash.

"I'm sure." Alex smiled and snapped the bag of grapes shut again. "Now get out of here before you're late for work." She turned and placed the grapes back into the fridge.

Diane smirked affectionately at her daughter. "Yes, _Mom_ ," she said playfully.

…

Piper entered into the kitchen after finishing her homework. The past week had really flown by, and after getting to talk to Diane on Tuesday and her therapist again on Thursday, she was actually starting to feel okay about the divorce. Dr. Rogers was helping her focus on the good that had come from the situation and to work through the parts that were causing her anxiety, like her fear of being viewed as weird by her friends when they found out. It had now been two weeks, and her mom was still sober and her dad was still being attentive and involved with both Cal and her. She was still anxious about the whole situation, but much less so than when she first found out.

"Wow, Dad!" she exclaimed as she entered into the kitchen and was overcome by the smell of dinner. "That smells amazing! What are you making?"

Bill smiled at her from his spot at the stove. He continued stirring as he responded, "Penne alla Vodka with roasted squash and zucchini and homemade meatballs."

"Sounds fancy. What's the occasion?" Piper asked as she meandered over to the counter. She snatched a cherry tomato from the plastic container and popped it into her mouth.

Piper watched as her dad's smile grew, and he raised his eyebrows mischievously. He replied, "It's a surprise."

She narrowed her eyes at him, suspicious. "Hmmm," she mused with a curious smile. Her dad wasn't usually into surprises. Although, her dad wasn't usually into being a father either, and that had changed completely over the last two weeks. She supposed that anything was possible. "Okay, well, you need any help finishing up?"

Bill's smile remained as he shook his head. "Nope; it's almost done! Maybe just tell your brother to wash up and come down."

A few minutes later, Piper and Cal were seated at the dining room table, as Bill passed them each a plate. He settled the large bowl of pasta in the center of the table, with a smaller bowl containing the roasted veggies on one side and another bowl with a fresh salad on the other side. He dished a helping of everything onto Cal's plate and began to do the same for Piper.

Piper held her hand up. "I'll just have the veggies and the salad; no pasta for me. I haven't been running as much lately and that's too many carbs."

Her dad frowned. "But, Pipe, you have to try the sauce and the meatballs! I made them from scratch."

Piper couldn't help but roll her eyes. She reminded herself that her dad _was_ trying, and she should indulge him; support this new role he'd taken on. "Okay, what if you spoon some of the sauce over the veggies and give me a meatball or two."

Bill nodded his agreement, doing just as Piper had suggested. He then returned to the kitchen to grab himself a plate.

Just as Piper noticed that her father had grabbed _two_ more plates instead of one, the doorbell rang, confirming to her that there would in fact be someone else joining them for dinner. Bill just smiled, settling the plates down onto the table before rushing out of the dining room and toward the front door.

Piper looked at Cal in confusion; her brother just shrugged in response.

The muffled voices of her father and their mystery guest grew louder until Bill reappeared, this time with a young woman trailing behind him. "Piper, Cal, I'd like you to meet Amber." Amber took a step forward, and smiled nervously. "Amber, these are my kids, Piper and Cal."

The first thing Piper noticed was how _young_ Amber was; she looked to be at most only ten years older than Piper. Her hair was a glossy chestnut brown and fell in loose curls over her shoulders. She was thin, but not unhealthily so; in the strappy sundress she wore, Piper could see the definition of her shoulder and bicep muscles. She obviously worked out regularly.

"You've got to be _fucking_ kidding me." Piper muttered shaking her head in heated disbelief. Her voice was just loud enough for everyone else to hear her.

"Piper," Her dad's tone was warning.

She stood abruptly, her chair scraping loudly across the wooden floor. Hot, angry tears began to well up in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. "It's only been two weeks!" Piper bit her tongue. She could feel the anger and hurt taking over her and was afraid she'd say something she'd regret. She knew that there was no way her dad had met Amber just in these last two weeks; they must have been together before the separation. She had been working so hard on controlling her emotions, but this was _too_ much. How could he think it was okay to bring her, the _other_ _woman_ , around them right now? How could he think she and Cal were ready for that? How could _she_ agree to it?

One tear slipped out and down her cheek. She palmed at it carelessly, but as she blinked, more tears fell. "How could you bring her here? She is the _reason_ you ruined our family." Piper finally turned her attention to Amber, and it was hard to look at her. She addressed Amber accusingly, "You do realize that, don't you? Because _you_ couldn't keep your legs closed around a married man, _my_ family is ruined!"

The look of complete shock that took over Amber's perfect little face was satisfying. Bill's eyes widened in surprise at Piper's outburst. If he hadn't expected this reaction, Piper mused, he truly knew nothing about his daughter.

His voice boomed. "That is enough!"

Piper shook her head, still shocked about the direction the night had gone. "I need to get out of here." She made her way around the table, storming past Amber and her dad. Luckily, she had already brought her backpack down to the living room after she had finished her homework earlier that night. She hurriedly swung it over her shoulders without pausing on her way to the door. "I'm staying at Polly's tonight."

"Piper, it is a school night!" Her dad attempted to argue.

Piper chanced a glance at Amber. She looked totally taken aback by the whole scene. She wondered what her dad had told her about them. Her eyes met Bill's again as she accused indignantly, "Since when do you care?"

The door slammed loudly behind her.

…

Piper was in a foul mood the next day at school. Mondays were always shitty, because they signaled the start of the school week, which meant five long days before the next weekend break. This Monday, however, was _particularly_ awful given the circumstances of the night before.

Piper was still reeling from her dad's surprise dinner guest. She thought venting to Polly about how fucked up the whole situation was would help, maybe be cathartic at least. But honestly, recounting the night to Polly and staying up much too late analyzing everything with her best friend actually made her feel worse.

Her best friend had been supportive, though, which was a tremendous relief to Piper. She had made Polly swear not to mention any of it to Sarah or Jessica, and Piper knew that she could trust Polly. It felt nice to be able to confide in someone other than Dr. Rogers, someone who actually knew her on a personal level. Sure, Larry also knew a bit about what was going on, but Piper didn't really confide in Larry about these sorts of things. She assumed he really didn't want to know about her personal troubles – she tried to keep up the façade of having a pretty perfect life around him; didn't want him to know how much her family issues were truly affecting her.

As she marched through the halls, running late (of course), she couldn't keep the angry thoughts at bay. What had her dad been thinking?! Why would he think Piper and Cal would be okay with meeting the woman responsible for ending their parents' marriage? Piper really had no idea what had given him the idea that bringing her to their home, the home they had lived in together as a family since Piper was born, was okay.

On top of all that, she knew she was going to be late for first period, and Ms. Figueroa was hardly forgiving. So, she had angrily resigned herself to a tardy mark, which would be her second one. One more and she'd have to do an after-school detention, which was _really_ not something she wanted to add to her growing list of trials and tribulations.

Needless to say, when she spotted Alex still standing by her open locker, hallway mostly deserted, she was not in the greatest of moods.

Before she had even thought it through, even really consciously acknowledged what she was doing, almost as if acting on instinct or habit alone, she had veered purposefully toward the taller girl, who still hadn't noticed her, and forcefully bumped her shoulder, knocking the books she had been holding carelessly to the ground.

"What the hell, Piper?!" Alex exclaimed.

The forceful bump had provided the outlet for Piper's building anger, but the satisfaction and relief she felt from the surprised expression that had quickly spread over Alex's facial features was short-lived.

She had taken a meager three steps away from the scene, her instinct being to leave the incident unacknowledged and continue on to class, when the guilt overcame her. She reminded herself that she was trying to be a better person. When she acted like this, when she took out her anger on Alex, she was no better than Jessica, and she was hurting _Diane_ indirectly.

This realization frustrated her even more, but she spun around, growling out an "Ugh!" as she took the three steps back to Alex and bent down to retrieve the dropped books from the floor. She shoved them into Alex's chest, and the taller girl's arms came up to grasp them.

Alex's eyebrow raised in confusion, but she smirked at the scowl that had taken up residence on the blonde's face.

Piper was not in the mood to deal with Alex, so as soon as the books were securely in Alex's arms once again, she turned back around to continue her sprint across the building to her first class.

The words were out of Alex's mouth before Piper's body had even completely turned away from her. "And? Is there anything you want to say? An apology maybe?" Her tone was teasing, sounding almost as if she had the upper hand in this situation. Which she kinda sorta did, Piper had to admit to herself, because she was the one, not Alex, that had bent down to pick the books up from the floor. Alex was confused by Piper's quick one-eighty, but was also clearly amused by the blonde's obvious annoyance at her own behavior.

Piper twisted her head back and smirked determined to regain the control. "Don't hold your breath, pigsty." The name was said without its usual venom, sounding almost to Alex like Piper was bantering with her, like there was some sort of volleying of power between the two of them.

The late bell sounded as Piper continued to rush around the corner. Instead of feeling annoyed or angry like she usually would have felt from receiving a tardy mark, Piper only felt a sort of pleasant tingly rush that traveled all the way from the tips of her toes to her scalp and made her heart beat a little bit faster. If being a nice person felt that good, Piper was sure she could get used to it.

…

Therapy that week couldn't have come fast enough. On Thursday, Piper was still avoiding her dad and trying to keep busy away from home. Just when she was comfortable spending time at home again, she now had to worry not that her parents were fighting, but that her dad had a woman there with him. Both scenarios were equally unappealing to Piper, so she easily reverted back to her old habits of hanging out with Polly or Larry when she didn't have any after-school activities scheduled.

That was exactly what she talked to Dr. Rogers about during therapy. How her dad was already dating so soon after the divorce; how she suspected he had been dating Amber long before the separation; how he had invited her over to their house for dinner without even checking with Piper or Cal to make sure they were okay with it; how she wanted to be anywhere but at home or around her dad right now.

Dr. Rogers listened attentively and supportively, as always, and then suggested to Piper the one thing the blonde would have hardly ever considered before trying to become a better person: why not get a part-time job?

Piper was obviously unconvinced and Dr. Rogers picked up on that. "I just think that having a job would be really good for you, Piper. It would give you some independence from your parents; you wouldn't have to rely on them as much for money, it would get you out of the house more often than after-school activities do, and it would teach you some additional responsibility and life skills. Just think about it."

The old Piper would have scoffed and rolled her eyes, but the new Piper actually considered it.

…

Alex leaned across the bar and snatched a fry from Nicky's heaping plate. It was a slow Monday afternoon at the diner, sure to pick up in an hour or so for the dinner rush.

"Hey!" Nicky protested, pulling the plate closer to her, where she was seated across the counter from Alex. "Get your own." She made a point of picking up a few fries from the plate and shoving them into her mouth.

"Gross, Nicky," Alex replied with a chuckle. She averted her eyes away from Nicky who was chewing with her mouth open. Grabbing a rag from behind the counter, she began to wipe down the already clean countertop, just to give herself something to do.

"So you got new glasses," Nicky observed. She wiped her salty fingers on her pants.

Alex raised her eyebrow. "Yep. Kinda had to," she chuckled sarcastically at the obviousness of her statement, but she knew what Nicky was getting at.

Nicky lowered her voice, even though the diner was mostly empty and Lorna was across the room wiping down tables. "What are you gonna do about the concert now?"

Alex shrugged and sighed. "Try to save up again, I guess. It's not until April, so I have time. I'll just try to pick up some extra shifts probably." She had convinced herself that it wasn't such a big deal; what's done is done, no use crying over spent money. What else could she do?

"What about you and Silvie? Are you guys good again?" Nicky asked around a mouthful of fried potato.

Alex shook her head and shrugged again. "We are. I mean, we talked about the argument we had at lunch the other day and things seem fine now."

"Why didn't you tell her about wanting to meet your dad?" Nicky asked.

"We've only been dating about two months now, and I don't know, I haven't really talked to her about my dad yet. I don't know if we're at that place in our relationship." Alex sighed loudly. "Silvie is a lot of fun, but we already fight so much. I feel like I'm constantly weighing the pros and cons of being with her."

Nicky scrunched up her nose and gave her friend a sympathetic smile. "That's tough. Well, to be honest, I miss having ya around. If she's not doing it for you, drop her."

Alex nodded to humor Nicky, but she was truthfully torn about Silvie. "I'm still just trying to figure it out."

"Okay, okay. That's fair. Better question: have you planned your revenge on Jessica yet?"

Alex just shook her head. She was so over all the drama of high school. "Nah. I don't know; I feel like maybe I started it all with the smoothie thing. Maybe now we're even, and I should just leave it alone?" Given the lengths Jessica had gone to to retaliate against her after the smoothie prank, Alex wasn't sure she wanted to provoke her again. She had already had to spend her saved up money on a new pair of glasses; she didn't know what else Jessica was capable of.

It wasn't that she was afraid of Jessica or her cheerleading minions by any means. Alex knew that she could hold her own. She just couldn't afford to have more of her things broken, or to get in trouble at school if things turned physical. If she had any hopes for college, she knew she'd be relying on scholarships, and any type of negative mark on her record was sure to prevent any scholarship committee from awarding her tuition money. No, fighting with Jessica was not an option.

Nicky practically spewed chewed up fries as she exclaimed, "Are you fucking kidding me? That bitch has been tormenting us for years. You finally retaliated, and she can't handle it."

Their conversation was interrupted as Lorna wandered back over to them, joining Alex behind the counter across from Nicky.

"How were the fries?" She asked Nicky with a smile.

"So good," Nicky replied with a smile to match.

The bell above the door jingled, and Alex looked up, prepared to go seat whoever it was and give Nicky and Lorna a minute alone.

Unexpectedly, her eyes landed on Piper, who was standing nervously at the door scanning the establishment.

"What's _she_ doing here?" Alex mumbled under her breath, clearly not happy to have the safe space of her diner infiltrated by the popular bitch once again.

"Oh, Piper, over here!" Lorna called with a smile. She then turned to Alex and Nicky and explained, "She was talking about getting a job today at lunch, and I told her Red is always looking for servers. She's probably here to fill out an application."

"Oh, well ain't that just swell." Alex said sarcastically as she watched the blonde cautiously approach.

…

 **A/N: Thank you all so much for your encouraging comments on the last chapter! I really appreciate it!**

 **For those of you who are fans of** _ **Crave**_ **, I am still working on the M-rated deleted scene! I hope to have it out soon! I've also been mulling over some ideas for a long one-shot, that I hope to have posted soon as well!** _ **Fall Girl**_ **will continue to be the priority though!**

 **Once again thank you for all the follows, favorites, and especially the reviews! I love to hear what you guys think of this fic! Also, I know that many of you guys have a love/hate with the slowburn, but I'm sorry – it's my favorite type of story to write! But at least now that they are both going to be working at the diner, they'll be forced to spend more time together :)**

 **Please don't forget to tell me what you thought of this chapter, things you'd like to see happen, etc.!**

 **Love, love, love,**

 **H. M. :)**


	7. Chapter 6

**A/N: Sorry for the delay in updating this! September & October were full of work deadlines and in my free time, I felt too brain dead to be creative.**

 **Some of you mentioned you felt like Alex was indifferent to the bullying. That wasn't exactly what I was going for – I wanted her to come across as more resigned to it since it's happened for so many years & also like she doesn't really care what Jessica & Co. think of her. Of course the bigger things are more upsetting to her (like getting punched and having her glasses broken), but I've always thought of Alex as being deliberate in her actions & aware of the potential consequences. I'm sorry I didn't get that across better. I did a few edits to Chapter 5 (Alex's reaction in the scene where Piper bumps into her and in the diner scene were Alex & Nicky are talking) to try to get some of Alex's motivations across better. More about Alex's motivations will become clear later in the story! Also, a major plot point I am still working up to involves Alex attempting a "long game" revenge on Piper – that obvs won't go according to plan because ultimately this is a Vauseman romance story!**

 **Hopefully this fairly long chapter where Alex gets a small revenge on Jessica makes up (at least a little) for the delay in posting!**

Chapter 6

With the wind in her hair, Piper pedaled her bicycle vigorously along the side streets through town. The leaves had only just begun to change colors in mid-September, and it was finally cool enough that she had integrated her sweaters and boots back into her closet for fall. To celebrate the first day of sweater weather, she had chosen to wear a forest green sweater and dark brown hiking boots, in which her dark skinny jeans were securely tucked.

In the basket at the front of her bike was a small cooler that she had packed with two chicken salad sandwiches, a small fruit salad, and two vitamin waters. She pedaled vigorously for two reasons. The first was for exercise purposes. Track would begin early in the spring semester, and she was determined to remain in fairly good shape, which meant watching what she ate and exercising regularly. She normally ran five miles every morning before school and on the weekends; however today she figured she would change it up, as Polly had texted her cryptically requesting to meet up at their "spot", which was the second reason for Piper's speediness.

Piper and Polly's "spot" as they referred to it was the docks at the lake just outside of town. It had been their go-to place for discussing life's hardships since middle school, back when their biggest problems included their crush liking someone else or being excluded by the popular girls in their grade. It had been a long time since either of them had requested meeting up there, so Piper was feeling pretty concerned about her best friend.

When she arrived, Polly was already seated all the way at the end of one of the docks facing toward the lake. Piper propped her bike against a tree and grabbed the cooler out of the basket before joining her friend.

"Hey, Pol," she greeted quietly not wanting to sneak up on her.

Polly looked up at Piper with eyes red and puffy from crying and gave her a small forced smile. "Hey. Thanks for coming."

"Of course, Polly. You know I'm always here for you."

Polly's smile became more genuine. "Did you bring lunch?"

Piper smiled in return and took a seat next to her, also facing out at the lake. "Mmhmm. I brought us chicken salad sandwiches and fruit salad," she said as she began unpacking the cooler and doling out the food. She passed a sandwich to Polly and settled the container of fruit salad between them to share.

Polly's stomach grumbled loudly and the sound made them giggle. "I didn't even realize how hungry I am. I skipped breakfast."

Piper reached over and placed her hand on Polly's arm. "What's going on?"

Polly's head dropped down as tears gathered in her eyes. "It's stupid. I shouldn't be this upset."

Piper took a bite of fruit salad to give Polly time to gather her thoughts.

"Pete broke up with me," she said finally, blinking a tear from her eye. Piper watched the path it made down Polly's cheek for a second before her friend reached up and brushed it away.

Piper frowned and pulled Polly into a tight hug. "I'm sorry, Polly."

She rubbed her back softly before pulling away. Polly shook her head and said, "I know it's dumb to be upset about it."

"He was your first real boyfriend; it's _not_ dumb to feel upset." Piper insisted, hoping to validate Polly's feelings. There was nothing worse than having someone telling you your feelings were wrong. "Do you want to talk about what happened?"

Polly shrugged. "I don't really know. He said he just wanted to focus on friends and football since it's his senior year, but I think he might like someone else."

Piper felt anger well up inside her for her friend. "Are you kidding me?! He is such an idiot then, because there is no one better than you! Do you want me to kick his ass? I'll do it."

Polly laughed at Piper's sincerity. "I think I'm mostly just sad that I won't get to have all the typical relationship experiences with him. I was really excited to go to the Homecoming dance together, and have a boyfriend to buy a Christmas gift for, and to have someone to celebrate Valentine's day with. Just the little things like that."

"Polly, there are probably a million guys who would die to go to homecoming with you! We'll find someone, and worst case scenario, you can go with me and Larry. Larry would probably love having two hot dates for Homecoming."

Polly giggled at that. "Thanks, Piper, that means a lot that you wouldn't mind me crashing your Homecoming. I honestly don't think I want to find another date; I had just envisioned going with Pete and going with someone else feels wrong to me. I'd love to tag along with you and Larry though, if you don't think he'd mind."

Piper shook her head, "I know he won't." Honestly, Piper didn't care if Larry did mind; Polly was her best friend and she wasn't going to make her go to Homecoming alone. She figured Larry would go along with what she wanted anyway, because Larry really liked her and he was a good guy.

Polly smiled, looking much less sad. She and Pete had only been dating for four months, but it still hurt to be dumped, especially because she was really beginning to have feelings for him. She leaned her head on Piper's shoulder, feeling reassured that she wasn't alone. She had Piper and she knew Piper would always be there for her.

…

The next day, Piper started her job at the diner. She was being trained by Lorna, so luckily she didn't have to interact much with Alex during her first week on the job. She was grateful, because, to be honest, she was a little nervous about starting at her first real job, and she didn't want Alex to see any mistakes she might make. For some reason the thought of Alex, in particular, seeing her struggle was really aversive. Probably because she didn't want to give Alex anything to use against her.

She knew that working with Alex would be a challenge for her new "good Piper" persona, as taking out her aggression on Alex was always so easy. The darker haired girl rarely fought back, and when she did, it was usually in response to Jessica or Sarah; Polly rarely instigated things, so there was nothing to retaliate against Polly for, and she hardly ever retaliated against Piper. Piper really wasn't sure why that was. Perhaps because they had known each other for so long and Diane was close with Piper. The only thing she knew for sure was working closely with Alex was sure to try her patience. Sometimes just her presence was annoying.

Her first night off was Wednesday, and she had promised her mother that they could get dinner together that night.

Once they were seated at the small bistro Carol had chosen, the criticisms began. "You know, Piper dear, orange really isn't your color." Her nose had scrunched up in distaste as she took in Piper's orange top.

Piper blushed at the dig; she had forgotten how critical her mother could be. Now that she was sober and less focused on her troubled marriage, she had the time and energy to focus on her children again. Piper had forgotten that that wasn't necessarily a good thing. She knew that in her mom's mind she was being helpful, just wanting the best for Piper and her brothers, but she wasn't exactly delicate about her opinions.

The waiter came and asked for their orders. When Piper ordered a cobb salad, her mother interrupted her, reaching across the table to touch her hand. "You know, sweetie, a cobb salad is actually very high in calories." She turned to the waiter and corrected, "She'll have the Italian salad instead." As the waiter looked to Piper for confirmation, Piper just sighed and nodded. "You have to be careful with salads, they can be deceiving," she continued as the waiter left to put their orders in. "You might think all salads are healthy, but that's not the case. The Italian will be better for you. It looks like you might have put on a few pounds in the last few weeks anyway."

"Mom!" Piper exclaimed, embarrassed.

"It's not a big deal, Piper. I know your dad has been cooking more, so I'm sure it's just that change in your eating habits. You need to always be thinking about the things you're putting into your body. Once you start track back up, it will get easier to maintain a desirable weight. Just don't let bad eating habits form. Once they do, they're hard to break."

Piper rolled her eyes, but her mom didn't notice.

"Now what's this I hear about a job?" Carol asked, continuing to catch up on what her daughter had been up to lately.

Finally, Piper smiled. She was happy (and a little proud of herself) that she had gotten the job at the diner. So far things had been going really well; she was picking up her duties easily and had enjoyed interacting with customers. Earning her own money was also a nice outcome, and she was due to receive her first paycheck at the end of that week. It was actually pretty gratifying, she had to admit, and it kept her busy.

"I got a job at Red's Diner. It's going well; I really like it."

Carol's nose scrunched up again. "A diner, Piper? Really? It's embarrassing enough that my daughter has a job, like Bill and I can't provide for you, but of all the places you could choose to work, you had to pick a diner? The girls are going to be appalled when they find out."

"Well, mom, I didn't really choose to work there because I thought your friends would approve. I just wanted a job, and I like it there."

"Alright. I just think you should keep an open mind about other opportunities if they should arise. Mabel's husband's law firm needs someone to answer the phones. I could tell her you're interested?" Carol suggested.

Piper began to shake her head, and luckily the waiter arrived with their salads at that moment. "Thanks for the offer, Mom. I'll keep it in mind, but I'm happy at Red's right now."

Carol relented. "Okay, okay." As they began to eat, Carol said, "Homecoming is in a few weeks. I thought we could go dress shopping on Saturday."

Piper sighed. Why was her mom taking such an interest in her all of a sudden? More than that, she was being controlling, and Piper wasn't really used to it. A part of her was happy her mom was trying to spend time together, maybe make up for the past few years when their family hadn't been all that involved with one another. But the other part of Piper, the bigger part, was used to doing things on her own, for herself.

"I was probably going to go with Polly and the girls, Mom."

Of course it wouldn't be that easy. Carol put on the guilt trip. "You see those girls all the time. You're my only daughter, Piper. I can't believe you don't want me to be a part of your high school experiences."

"It's not that, Mom. Okay, we can go dress shopping together on Saturday. If I don't find something, then I'll go again with the girls."

"See, Piper. Was that really so hard?"

Piper shoved a forkful of salad into her mouth to keep her from going off on her mom.

…

The music from the house party could be heard from the street as Alex parked her car. Luckily, the house was so far out of town that the neighboring house was a mile down the small paved road. People who were that rich could afford the privacy.

Nicky and Silvie clambered out of the car, and Alex took a moment scream at herself in her head. She couldn't believe she had let Nicky talk her into coming to one of these parties. But Lorna had invited Nicky, and Nicky didn't want to go alone (Alex understood that). At the same time, Silvie had been badgering her to do something fun, so this party essentially was killing two birds with one stone: being a good best friend and being a good girlfriend. So, she sucked it up; she could deal with the brainless masses of Litchfield High for a few hours anyway.

As they neared the house, they passed a few people drinking on the large wraparound porch and Alex couldn't help but be impressed by the enormity of the home. Alex wasn't sure if anyone she actually liked would be at this party, and she was already regretting being there, already feeling out of place. But as they entered into the living room, the party was already in full swing and the drunk high school students didn't even give the trio a passing glance as they made their way into the kitchen to find the alcohol.

Alex was planning on nursing one beer the whole night, because she was intent on being able to drive them all home. She knew she shouldn't even have the one, but she was going to need it if she was going to make it through the whole night.

Nicky grabbed a beer from the fridge and pulled out her phone to send a text to Lorna. "I'm gonna go find Morello," she said, raising her voice above the music, as her phone lit up with a new message. "I'll catch up with you guys later?"

Alex nodded and then reached into the fridge to grab two beers, one for herself and one for Silvie. They both took a sip, squeezing in close to each other as someone else took a turn digging around in the fridge for more alcohol.

Silvie's eyes met Alex's through thick, mascaraed lashes. She set her beer onto a large marble-topped kitchen island and grasped the flaps of Alex's bomber jacket, tugging her even closer. Alex felt her stomach flip in response, and Silvie raised herself up onto her tiptoes to whisper into Alex's ear, "Wanna dance?"

There was something about being pressed together in a crowd of teenagers, music so loud she could barely think, the beginning tingle of alcohol warming her veins, and Silvie's hot breath tickling her ear that made her reservations about the night, this party, fly right out the door.

She smirked and raised her brow in response, taking Silvie's hand in her own and leading her out of the kitchen and into the crowd of dancing teenagers.

…

It had only been an hour since Piper, Polly, and Larry had arrived at the party, but Piper was already shit-faced. The party was being thrown by Baxter Bayley, a somewhat puny, nerdy kid, who was only popular because of his parent's money and his ability to throw awesome parties almost every weekend since his parents were often away on business. Piper didn't interact with him much.

Piper had seen Alex and her posse arrive and was determined to stay far away from them. After the day she had had dress shopping with her mom, she knew it wouldn't take much for her annoyance to boil over, and Alex was always her favorite target.

Her mother had insisted that she try on dozens of dresses that Piper had no interest in, criticized her dress size, swearing that she had gone up a size over the last year. It had been at least two years since her mother had even taken her shopping, so Piper didn't think she knew what she was talking about. She was probably remembering their shopping trips when Piper was in middle school, not realizing just how much time had passed, how much time she had missed out on. Of course Piper had grown since middle school, what did her mom expect?!

Piper hadn't liked any of the dresses Carol suggested, which had irked her mom to no end. She had finally just given in since Carol had offered to pay, and she planned to get a different dress next weekend when she and Polly went dress shopping together.

Replaying the day in her mind pissed her off. She needed another drink. She watched from across the room as Alex and her girlfriend emerged from the kitchen and headed into the living room. Coast was clear.

"Polly, let's go get more to drink." She grabbed Polly by the arm and tugged her into the kitchen. "We should see if Maritza will make us those lemon drop shots again!"

Polly smiled widely. "Mmmmmm, those were so good!"

…

The party actually wasn't so bad. Alex had finished her beer about an hour ago. She and Silvie had danced for awhile and then met back up with Nicky and Lorna and the four of them had sat on the porch drinking and talking. Silvie and Nicky were definitely reaching peak drunk levels, but Alex was content with her very slight buzz.

When Nicky and Lorna started to get a little overly affectionate with one another, Alex stood, pulling Silvie with her. "Do you need another drink?"

"Sure, thanks," Silvie replied, following Alex back into the house. They made their way back toward the kitchen.

"Silvie!" someone called, and Silvie squeezed Alex's hand.

"I'm gonna go say hi. I'll meet you in the kitchen?" Silvie explained, reaching up to give Alex a brief kiss on the lips.

Alex nodded, releasing her hand and turned into the kitchen. She rolled her eyes as they landed on Jessica Wedge, who leaning against the counter watching her.

Alex pushed past her toward the fridge.

The blonde cleared her throat and then said loud enough for the few people in the kitchen and dining area to hear, "Who invited the dykes to the party?" Her words were slightly slurred; she was definitely inebriated.

Alex reached into the fridge to grab the beer then walked right up to Jessica, getting into her space. Jessica flushed and stumbled backwards. "I don't know, Jess. Who invited you?"

Jessica's face flushed red, and she pushed at Alex's shoulders to get her back up and out of her space. "I'm not…" she stuttered offended and flustered at Alex's implication, stumbling over her words, "a dyke like you, Alex!"

She was so drunk and unsteady, she lost her balance as she pushed Alex toward the doorway to the kitchen, that she pitched forward, grasping Alex's shoulders to keep from falling.

"Really?" Alex asked with a smirk. "Could have fooled me." She said, nodding her head toward her shoulder where Jessica's hand was still grasping tight. Alex pressed her hands to Jessica's waist and gave her a gentle push backward. As she did so, she raised her voice and shouted, "For the last time, Jessica! I don't want to make out with you!"

The people who were close enough to hear over the music all turned to watch the scene unfold. As people began to point and whisper and laugh, embarrassment flushed Jessica's cheeks an unattractive bright red.

"Fuck you." She tipped her nearly full beer down the front of Alex's shirt and then bolted from the room.

Alex almost didn't care. The embarrassment she had caused Jessica was well worth a ruined shirt. She made her way toward a bathroom to clean herself up a bit and then she was going to round up Silvie and Nicky and get the hell out of there.

Silvie intercepted her on the way to the bathroom, so Alex pulled her inside with her. "What the fuck just happened?" Silvie practically screeched. "Did that bitch seriously try to make a move on you? I will _murder_ her."

Alex's eyes widened, and she honestly didn't know if she should be amused by drunk Silvie or concerned that the threat wasn't just a result of drunk Silvie, but was just Silvie being Silvie.

"Whoa, calm down." Alex said, grasping her arms. "She didn't hit on me. I was just trying to embarrass her. Glad to know it was believable."

Silvie immediately calmed. "But she ruined your shirt!" she pouted.

Alex shrugged and turned on the water. "That's okay; it was worth it." She grabbed the hand towel, ran it under the warm water, and began dabbing at the brown spot on her chest.

"That bitch is gonna pay. I really feel like fighting tonight." Silvie's voice was laced with venom.

Alex rolled her eyes. Drunk Silvie was officially more psycho than sober Silvie. "No one is fighting tonight. As soon as I finish up here, we're leaving. Why don't you go find Nicky and tell her to get ready?"

Silvie nodded in agreement and left the room. Before Alex could close the door, someone else burst in and knelt in front of the toilet, quickly grabbing her own hair back with one hand and releasing the contents of her stomach into the bowl.

Alex continued to dab at the stain, feeling slightly concerned for this girl. Until the girl pulled away, running the back of her hand across her mouth and slouching against the bathtub.

Alex couldn't help the chuckle that escaped from her mouth at how pathetic Piper looked. At the sound Piper realized someone else was in the room with her and her eyes quickly rose to meet Alex's.

Almost immediately, she broke eye contact, choosing instead to focus on her lap. "How fucking awesome," she muttered to herself, releasing a self-deprecating laugh. "Of course Miss Perfect Alex Vause with her perfect life and perfect mom just had to see me like this." She shook her head and met Alex's eyes again. "Go ahead, make fun of me. Take a photo so you can send it around the school."

Alex's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. What the hell was Piper talking about, calling her life perfect? She and her mom could barely make ends meet, while Piper had everything she ever wanted.

"Well?" Piper prompted. "Do you want me to, like, pose or something? Make myself puke again, so you can get a good action shot?"

Alex shook her head, chuckling. "I'm not going to take a picture of you, Piper." She turned off the sink.

"Why not? I know I deserve it." Piper said quietly.

"That's true. But I'm not gonna do that to you." She zipped her bomber jacket up nearly all the way to cover the large wet spot on her chest.

Piper just shrugged drunkenly. "Okay. Thanks."

Alex chuckled at her nonchalance. She turned to leave, knowing that she didn't owe Piper a damn thing, but she couldn't help but feel concern for the girl. This girl who had done some really shitty things to her over the years, but had recently shown that she had a good side too. This girl who cared about her mom enough to stand up to Jessica to defend her. And who stayed behind after Jessica had punched her and ruined her glasses to make sure she was okay.

She hesitated, then turned back to face the blonde. "Are you okay? Do you need a ride or anything?"

Piper shook her head. "I'm good. Larry is driving me home."

"Okay. I'll see you later, Piper."

Piper's faint, drunken response of "See you later, Al…ligator," made her smile as she left the bathroom.

…

 **A/N: I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!**

 **Please let me know what you think in a review! All the positive comments have really kept this story at the forefront of my mind – even when I was busy – and really motivate me to keep writing!**

 **I love to hear what you have to say!**

 **Love yous!**

 **-H.M.**


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